Learning As You Go
by donna79
Summary: Joey wasn't looking for a knight in shining armour. But she found one in the least likely of places. This is how I would have liked to see season three turn out. Complete!
1. Entering The Gates Of Hell

Story Title: Learning As You Go 

**Chapter Title: Entering The Gates Of Hell**

**Summary: Joey wasn't looking for a knight in shining armor. But she found one in the least likely of places. This takes place during their junior year. This is how I would have liked to see it happen. I'm not using direct quotes from the show, but I will be using some of the content from the season. And Henry, AJ, and Eve will be in this.**

**Pairing: Pacey/Joey**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. But Kevin Williamson is a genius. **

**AN: I wanted to make another story about my favorite couple. I just can't get enough of them. I hope you guys like it.**

If she didn't hurry she was going to be late for school. She could hear Bessie yelling at her to hurry up from the kitchen.

"Jo, hurry up! Pacey's pulling up." Bessie said from outside Joey's bedroom.

"Tell him to give me five minutes." Joey said through the door.

She could hear Bessie mumbling as she walked back down the hall. Joey was pulling on her pants when she heard Pacey talking to her sister. She could hear someone in the hall then they knocked on her door.

"Hey Jo, you decent?" Pacey asked from the other side.

"You'd love to walk in on me wouldn't you Witter?" She said opening the door.

"No, I have a girlfriend. Thank you very much." He said flicking her ear.

She smacked him as they walked out the door. The ride to school was filled with silence except the sounds of Credence Clearwater Revival coming through the speakers. Joey would never understand how Pacey could listen to it. She shook her head seeing him tap the wheel to the music. She watched the scenery pass by thinking about her best friend. He had left her two months before and she had nothing better to do than hang out with Pacey. Her other friends had felt the need to distance themselves over the summer.

They pulled up at school seeing Jen walking with Jack. Jen had once been the other woman in Dawson's fantasies. Joey had since come to see the blonde as a good friend. And it didn't matter that Jack hadn't told her that he was gay when they dated. Joey still saw him as the klutz that worked at the Icehouse with her. That was before it was burned to the ground because of her father. Joey was dreading seeing Dawson. She hadn't talked to him once the entire summer.

"Welcome back to hell." Jack said draping an arm over Joey's shoulders.

"Hey Jackie Boy." Joey said wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I really should have hung out with you more this summer." He said messing up her hair.

"You would have saved me from hanging with Pacey." She said fixing her hair.

"Can it Potter. I kept you from watching the screaming meanie all summer."

They parted ways a few minutes later. Joey was at her locker when she heard a familiar voice call her name. She smiled when she saw him. His hair was shorter than the last time she saw him. But the rest of him hadn't changed. He smiled at her in recognition.

Nothing else was said. They parted ways each going in the opposite direction.

She didn't see him again until lunch. She was sitting with Jack and Jen when she saw him walk in. He sat with Pacey and she wished she could hear their conversation. Jen saw her staring at him and with a worried look on her face. She nudged Jack and he followed Joey's gaze. He rolled his eyes before leaving the table. Jen put a hand on Joey's arm making her look at her.

"Have you talked to him?"

"I said hi to him. Does that count?"

"No. You need to tell him how you feel. If you wait too long you might miss your chance."

"You're not thinking of going after him again are you Lindley?"

"No. I've learned that you are the only girl he has eyes for." Jen said before getting up from the table. "Let me know how it goes." She said before walking away.

Joey went back to watching Dawson and noticed that he was looking at her. He quickly looked away when he noticed that she was looking at him. She sighed before getting up to throw away her lunch. This was going to be a long day.

XXXX

He didn't know how he had let Pacey talk him into throwing a party but he had. He felt like he didn't have any other choice. He needed money to fix his dad's boat. He knew he shouldn't have taken it out, but Pacey's voice was ringing in his ears telling him to act like a teenager for a change. And he was; he was pulling a page out of Tom Cruise's book. Strippers dancing on the table and all.

Pacey was walking towards him calling his name over the noise.

"You're not having any fun." Pacey said giving him a playful shove.

"I'm having fun on the inside." Dawson said forcing a smile.

"I can have a certain blonde give you a lap dance. Would that make you feel better?" He asked quirking an eyebrow.

"No. I'm gonna go upstairs." Dawson said making his way through the crowd.

As Dawson closed his door he heard something in the closet. He opened the door to find Joey crouching in the corner.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I didn't want to be downstairs."

"No, why are you in my house?"

"I'm not allowed to be here?" Joey asked giving him a worried look.

"I made it clear that I wanted space the last time you were here."

"You're lying." She said walking towards him.

"Jo, leave." He said not looking at her.

"Fine." She said grabbing her shoes and going through the window.

XXXX

Joey walked through her front door looking defeated. Bessie looked up from the show she was watching with a worried look on her face. She knew where Joey had gone, but she didn't expect her home so soon. Or that she would be upset when she came back.

She made her way to Joey's room and leaned against the frame.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked not wanting to come into the room until Joey said she could.  
"You really want to know what's wrong?" Joey asked lifting her head from her pillow.

"I really do." Bessie said taking a step into the room.

"He told me to leave. He wouldn't even hear me out."

"Oh Jo, I'm sorry." Bessie said sitting next to her.

Joey put her head in Bessie's lap letting the tears flow. She had never cried over a guy before, so Bessie knew this was serious. Bessie ran her hands threw Joey's hair letting her cry. They heard the phone ring but they ignored it. The machine would get it. Joey cried even harder when she heard Pacey's voice saying that he had heard what had happened. And that he wanted to check on her. Bessie was glad Joey had a friend like Pacey. Even if Joey wouldn't admit it, he played a major part in Joey's life.

"What do you think I should do?" Joey asked wrapping her arms around Bessie's waist.

"I think you should give him some space. He wouldn't have asked for it if he didn't want it."

"There's a new girl in his life."

"Are you serious? Already?"

"He met her on the bus ride home. That's what Pacey told me."

"What a jerk." Bessie said under her breath. She had to be there for her kid sister.

Joey laughed knowing Bessie didn't really mean it. She knew Bessie thought Dawson roped the moon, just like Joey did. She sighed before pulling away. Bessie looked down at her giving her a questioning look.

"I'm gonna go to bed."

"We'll talk about this in the morning."

Joey nodded knowing Bessie meant what she said. It wasn't a conversation Joey was looking forward to. She lay awake for hours thinking about all the things that had led up to this. Dawson's lying to her about her dad. Her messing with his emotions ever since Jen had come into the picture. Joey wasn't looking forward to tomorrow at all.


	2. A Friend In Need

**Chapter Title: A Friend In Need**

**AN: There's more Pacey/Joey interaction in this chapter. And my favorite freshman from Capside High makes his appearance in this chapter. Before I forget, Dawson doesn't ask Pacey to look after Joey in this story. He does it because he honestly cares for her.**

Pacey was sitting in the Witter Wagoneer waiting for Joey. He didn't want to go in this morning. Lord only knows what he would encounter. Bessie could be on one of her man hating trips again. Bodie needed to come back, and soon. It wasn't Pacey's fault the guy had to go to New York for the culinary classes he was forced to take. But God forbid anyone should try to point that out to Bessie. Joey came out a few minutes later.

She looked like she hadn't slept the night before. Truth be told she looked like hell. She didn't say anything as she got into the truck. She rested her head against the headrest and groaned.

"Long night?" Pacey asked giving her a sympathetic look.

Joey nodded without opening her eyes.

"You know we could ditch today." He said still looking at her.

"I'm not going to give him the satisfaction." She said opening her eyes.

"That a girl. Give him a taste of what's he's missing." He said starting the engine.

"How did you find out anyway? I know he didn't tell you."

"No he didn't. I was standing outside his room. I heard the whole conversation." He said without looking at her.

"You gonna gloat or what? You gonna tell me 'I told you so'?"

"No. I figured you'd sucker punch me if I did that."

"You're right I would." She said giving him a conceded smirk.

The rest of the ride to school was spent in silence. Which was fine with Joey. She didn't feel like socializing anyway. And since when did Pacey care what about what happened to her? He never had before. Joey looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was acting different. She had noticed it half way through the summer. The banter and snide comments were still there, but he had changed. Then again, maybe he had always been nice. And Joey hadn't taken the time to get to know that side of him. She shook her head trying not to think about it. They pulled up to school and saw the cheerleaders practicing on the lawn.

"I still can't believe Jen is one of them now." Joey said shaking her head.

"You're not the only one. And Jack is a football player? What did I miss?" Pacey said seeing Jack coming towards them in a football jersey.

"I missed it too." Joey said looking up at him.

Jack walked by glaring at them. Joey giggled as she stopped at her locker.

"Something funny Potter?" Jack asked from where he stood.

"No." Joey said, knowing Jack would be able to tell she was lying.

Pacey leaned against the lockers staring at Joey. She looked at him giving him a weird look.

"What?"

"Nothing." He said pointing down the hall.

Joey looked to where he had pointed and saw Dawson coming towards them.

"I'm gonna go." She said shutting her locker.

Dawson walked up to his locker watching her go. Pacey shook his head knowing things were going to get complicated. It was only a matter of time.

XXXX

Dawson had been avoiding her all day. And as he walked into the lunchroom he saw her sitting with Pacey. He was glad they were getting along, really he was. But he knew it was only a matter of time before Joey would realize that Pacey had feelings for her. He would be upset when she did. That would mean that he wouldn't get another chance. He still loved her, but things were complicated. Too complicated for him to deal with. He made his way through the room to sit with Jack and Jen. They looked up as he sat down.

"You two playing musical tables?" Jack asked looking over Joey.

"I guess so. Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Of course it is." Jen said patting his arm.

Jack nodded his head in agreement. Even if he didn't like Dawson that much, the guy was starting to open up more. So who knew how Jack would feel by about him by the end of the year? Jack didn't like the way Dawson always thought he had a say so in Joey's life. She was a big girl, she shouldn't have to answer to Dawson. And he was going to prove it to her if it killed him.

Dawson watched Pacey and Joey interact wondering what they were talking about. Whatever it was it didn't seem like Joey wanted to listen to what Pacey had to say. Someone off to his side caught his attention. It was Henry Parker, and he was staring at Jen like he was debating if he wanted to come over and talk to her or not.

"Uh, Jen…" Jack said pointing in Henry's direction.

"No." Jen said banging her head on the table when she saw him.

Jack laughed quietly to himself as Henry walked over to them. He wasn't a bad kid, just a little clueless when it came to the opposite sex. Jack made it a point to help him get the girl of his dreams. How hard could it be?

"Jack, can I talk to you?" Henry said refusing to look at Jen.

"Sure Parker. What do you need?" Jack said getting up from the table.

Dawson watched them walk away.

"So that's Henry?" Dawson said looking at Jen.

"Don't start." Jen said with her head still on the table.

XXXX

"What do you think I should do?" Joey asked running a hand through her hair.

"Give him what he wants. He'll eventually realize how stupid he's acting." Pacey said hoping she would change the subject.

"I don't know if I can. I don't think that's what I want."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what's the point? When we were together all we did was argue. We can do that being friends."

"You don't want to be with Dawson anymore?" Pacey asked raising his eyebrows.

"Think about it Pace. All we do is make each other miserable."

Pacey didn't know what to say that. Did he hear Joey right? Or was the world suddenly coming to an end? He shook his head trying to grasp what Joey was saying.

"You're shocked aren't you?"

"Uh yeah." Pacey said staring her.

"I'm so glad I can talk to you about this, thanks for listening. I really needed a guys opinion."

"What about Jack?"

"Jack's still on the ledge about liking him. He doesn't like that Dawson thinks he can run my life."

"I don't like it either."

"Yeah, but you're friends with both of us."

Pacey nodded knowing that he shouldn't bring up the fact that he had feelings for her. That would only make her run away. It would be best to play the friends card and see where it took him. It couldn't be any worse than what she had with Dawson. Pacey knew better than to try to dictate her life.

He could be friends with her first. It had worked with Andie. Oh God Andie, he had completely forgotten about her. He sighed wishing things could be different. Joey had changed the subject and Pacey turned his attention back to her.

"So when does Andie come home?"

"This weekend." Pacey said just above a whisper.

"You don't sound too excited." Joey said sounding worried.

"It's just that I miss her." He said hoping she wouldn't be able to tell that he was lying.

"Well she'll be home soon. Cheer up Witter." Joey said hugging him.

Pacey hugged her back not wanting to let her go. The bell rang and Joey pulled away.

"I'll meet you in the parking lot." She called over her shoulder.

XXXX

Jen was walking through tunnel that led to the locker rooms when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and almost collided with Henry. He grabbed on to her shoulders to keep her from falling. She shrugged him off before glaring at him.

"Hi."

"Hey." She said starting to walk away.

"Jen?" He asked making her turn around

"What?"   
"Would you…"

"Come on Jen." Jack said pulling her down the hall.

"See you Jen." Henry said waving goodbye.

Jen didn't answer him. Why was he talking to her? She knew he wasn't stupid, she had been ignoring him all day. Jack had even talked to the poor kid and told him she didn't like him like that. He just couldn't take a hint.


	3. Don't Wait

**Chapter Title: Don't Wait**

**AN: I am glad that you guys are liking this. This is one of the easiest stories I've written. I think it's because the chemistry between Pacey and Joey was so obvious on the show. Anyway, on with the story. And ironically, I'm watching an old episode of Dawson right now. I get to drool over Pacey!**

Joey sat in English but her mind was somewhere else. She couldn't get what Pacey had said out of her head. He was right; she needed to move on. She had spent three hours talking to him last night. She couldn't help but think she was taking up too much of his time. He needed to be there for Andie, and he couldn't do that with Joey following him around like a lost puppy. They needed some distance between them.

The bell rang, but Joey didn't hear it. Jen stopped at her desk and put a hand on her shoulder. Joey looked up and Jen gave her a sympathetic look. Joey gave her a sheepish smile before getting up. She was still getting used to Jen being around. They were finally getting to know each other, and Jen wasn't as wretched as Joey thought. Now that Abby was out of the picture Jen was actually nice. It was too bad that Abby had to die before they became friends though.

Joey walked to her locker seeing Pacey standing in his usual place. She shook her head trying not to think about him again. He looked down at her as she grabbed books from her locker.

"Are you okay?" He asked making her look up at him.

"I'm fine." She said giving him a small smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." She said nodding her head.

She walked away not saying anything else. She knew he was following her. It took everything she had not to turn around and look at him. If she did all of her resolve would fly out the window.

Pacey watched her wondering what he had done wrong. She had seemed fine last night, other than the fact that she had kept bringing up Andie. And that made him feel even worse. He needed to be honest and tell Andie the truth, that he wasn't in love with her. He was falling for his worst enemy. He never saw it coming. The girl from across the creek had worked his way into his heart. And there was nothing he could do about it. He had to see if there was something there.

XXXX

Pacey waited for Joey in the parking lot. He saw her walking out with Jack and Jen. He opened the passenger door for her and she shook her head.

"Not today Pace, I'm gonna spend time with Jack." She said getting into Jacks car.

"But I need a ride home. Think you can manage it?" Jen asked leaning against the Wagoneer.

"Sure Lindley, hop in." Pacey said sighing.

Jack gave him an apologetic look and a wave as he pulled away. Jen stared up at Pacey as he watched them drive away. Jen felt bad for the guy, it wasn't everyday that you fell for the girl of your best friends dreams. She could tell Pacey was having a hard time accepting it.

"So, how long have you liked Potter?" Jen asked as Pacey started the car.

He froze with his hands in mid air. How could she know? He looked over at her and saw the serious look she was giving him.

"I asked you a question Pace." Jen said still looking at him.

"How do know?"

"It's not that hard to figure out."

"Who else knows?"

"Just Jack. Don't you think you should tell Andie?"

"I'm working on it."

"You really like her don't you?"

"Jo? Yeah, I do. I just don't know how serious it is yet."

"She likes you too. Don't wait too long before you talk to her." Jen said putting a hand on his shoulder.

XXXX

Joey was silent as Jack drove her home. He knew what was going on. He just didn't know how to bring it up. Anyone that thought gay guys were in tune with girls was crazy. She sighed not being comfortable with the tension.

"You don't deal well with tension do you?"

"Gee, what gave that away?" She said giving him a smart alike smile.

Jack laughed at her shaking his head.

"I wanted to talk to you about Pacey."

"What about him?"

"Don't be stupid I know what's going on."

"What are you talking about Jack?" Joey said turning in her seat to stare at him

"I saw the way you interacted with Pacey this summer. You like him, but you don't know how to tell him."

"Jack…"

"I understand."

"Then there's Andie."

"If you're honest she'll understand."  
"No she won't." Joey said shaking her head.

"Yes she will. Not at first, but she will eventually."

"I don't think I can wait for her to come around."

"Just don't flaunt it around her."

"I don't even know if he feels the same way."

"He does. Don't wait too long." He said turning off the engine.

They were in Joey's front yard. The twenty-minute car ride had passed by in a blur. She saw Pacey's truck parked in Dawson's yard across the creek.

"I don't think now is the time to go and see him." Jack said putting a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded not saying anything. Jack followed her inside in silence. Joey felt lucky to have Jack in her life. She could tell him things she couldn't tell Dawson. And she knew he wouldn't tell anyone. It made her feel safe, but that was only because she knew he wouldn't hit on her. She smiled thinking back to when they had first met. Jack had changed a lot in the six months that they had known each other.

"Joe, I need to go and by the Witter's can you watch Alexander for me?" Bessie said carrying the baby into the living room.

"I promised Jack I would help him study." Joey said looking up from her textbook.

"Okay, maybe I can ask Gail." She said grabbing her purse.

"Pacey's at the Leery's, maybe he'll watch him." Jack said trying to help.

"I guess he can come over. I promise to tell him to keep Alex out of your hair." Bessie said picking up the phone.

Joey gave Jack an evil glare. He smiled and gave her a 'What did I do?' look. She smacked his arm before shaking her head.

"You better not leave."

"I can ask Jen for help."

"Did you hear me? I said don't leave."

"Fine, coward." Jack said opening his book again.

"I am not." Joey said rolling her eyes.

"Buck, buck, buckaw." Jack said putting his arms up to his chest knowing what was coming.

"I'm not a chicken either!" Joey said laughing at him.

She lunged at him and he shielded her blows. They were laughing as Pacey walked into the house.

"Thanks Pace, you're a life savor." Bessie said handing him the baby.

"Anytime."

Joey looked over the back of the couch at him and smiled. He smiled back wondering what was going on. He would have to ask her later.


	4. One Step At A Time

Chapter Title: One Step At A Time 

**AN: I'm really glad you guys like this. I write better when I watch Dawson's Creek. So that's what I'm doing right now. I hope you guys enjoy.**

Dawson looked out his window watching what was going on across the creek. He could see Joey and Jack in the swing in the front yard. And Pacey was chasing Alexander around the front yard. Since when did he get replaced with Jack? Maybe it was because Jack didn't mess with Joey's emotions. Dawson needed to work on his people skills; he knew that. But why was Jack the first person Joey ran to? Why not Pacey? Granted Pacey was there but he wasn't the one Joey was talking to.

He heard his dad call his name from downstairs. His dad had been trying to talk him into doing this piece on Jack for the news. Why was the gay football player getting so much attention? Dawson never heard his dad come upstairs or knock on his door.

"Dawson?" Mitch asked from behind him.

Dawson turned around almost colliding with his dad.

"Did you want something dad?" Dawson asked once he regained his balance.

"I wanted to know if you had thought about shooting footage of Jack."

"I guess I can do it." Dawson said giving in.

"I knew I could count on you." Mitch said putting a hand on Dawson's shoulder.

What was the worst that could happen? I mean; it wasn't like Joey was still dating him. And who knows? Maybe they might even get along.

XXXX

Across the creek Joey was thinking about something other than Dawson. She watched Pacey chase her one-year-old nephew across the yard. She smiled as she tuned out Jack. Jack rolled his eyes wishing she would talk to him. Joey hadn't said more than three words to Pacey since he came over. But she had no trouble watching him. Jack had to admit, Pacey was a good guy. He just wished the circumstances were different. He knew Pacey hated hurting Andie, but he had to get it over with. The sooner he was honest with her the sooner he could be with Joey.

If only all guys were as understanding as Jack. That's what Jen always said, he had a way of letting things roll of his back. Which everyone else admired. He put a hand on Joey's leg making her look at him.

"Go talk to him." He said jerking his head towards Pacey.

"Shouldn't you be telling me to stay away from your sister's boyfriend?"

"I would, but it obvious that you like him." He said rubbing her leg.

"Why are you so nice?" She asked putting her hands over his.

"I don't like seeing the people I care about hurting."

"And your sister wouldn't be hurt?"

"I can handle Andie. You handle Pacey."

"I don't know. I don't think he likes me like that."

"We're you not listening to me earlier? Of course he does. Go." He said shoving her shoulder.

XXXX

Jen was sitting on her porch when she heard someone call her name. She looked up and rolled her eyes.

"What do you want Henry?"

"I didn't get to ask you what I wanted to ask you."

"I already know what it is. And the answer is no." She said going back to reading her book.

Henry opened the screen door and walked over to her. Jen looked at him giving him an evil glare.

"All I'm asking for is a chance." He said sitting on the table.

Jen sighed before looking at him again. What would one date hurt? It wasn't like she couldn't go back to avoiding him afterwards.

"One date." She said giving in.

"Thank you. You won't regret this."

"Don't be so sure."

"I'll see you tomorrow. We'll talk about it then." Henry said standing up.

Jen banged her head on the back of the chair wondering what she had just gotten herself into. Grams watched from the window by the door. She had heard everything. She smiled before walking away. _'The Lord works in mysterious ways indeed.'_ She thought as she walked into the kitchen.

XXXX

Pacey saw Joey coming towards him and groaned. What had he done now? Had Alexander wandered off? He looked to his right and saw the baby playing in the sandbox. What could she want? She had been avoiding him like the plague all day.

"Hey." She said as she stopped in front of him.

"Hey." He said rubbing the back of his neck.

"You can go home if you want. I can take care of him." She said picking up Alexander.

"You two done?" He asked pointing to Jack who was getting into his car.

"Yeah."

"Do you really want me to go?" He asked putting a hand on her arm.

"Honestly? No."

"Then I'll stay." He said wrapping an arm around her shoulders leading her into the house.

Joey put Alexander in his crib and came back into the living room. Pacey was sprawled out on the couch staring at the ceiling. She stood over him with her hands on her hips.

"Do you expect me to sit on the floor?" She asked glaring at him.

"I can share." He said rolling over on his side.

Joey sighed before lying down next to him.

"Hi." He said brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Hey." She said wrapping an arm around him to give herself more room.

He pulled her to him resting his chin in the crook of her neck. She sighed feeling his breath heat her skin. She pulled her hair away from her neck to keep it out of his face.

"Pace?" She said breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" He said against her neck.

"What are we doing?"

"We're laying down on the couch." He said draping an arm over her hip and pulling her closer to him.

"Don't get smart. You know what I mean."

"I don't know what we're doing Jo."

"I think we're running from the truth."

"I guess you could say we're doing that too." He said sighing.

"Do you have anything you want to say?" She said pulling her head away from him.

"What do you want me to say? That I have feelings for you? I think I've made that clear."

"What about Andie?" She asked looking into his eyes.

"I'll tell her." He said not breaking their gaze.

"And after that?" She asked looking worried.

"We'll take it one stop at a time." He said kissing her forehead.

Joey could live with that. Now all they needed to do was deal with Dawson. That would be a harder hurdle to concur. Pacey could tell what she was thinking.

"We'll tell Dawson after we sort everything out. No need to worry him if it's platonic."

"Do you think it is?" Joey asked staring at him.

"I hope not." Pacey said pulling her to him again.

They lay that way until Bessie got home. By the time she got home they had fallen asleep. She could hear Alexander playing in the other room. Bessie went to check on him seeing him standing up in his crib.

"What are we going to do with those two?" She asked carrying him into the living room.

Joey and Pacey were oblivious to everything going on around them. They stayed asleep through it all.


	5. Coming Clean

**Chapter Title: Coming Clean**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm just a penniless writer, who is doing what she loves… for free. I live off feedback, what can I say?**

**AN: You guys are awesome. I didn't think that many people would read this. It makes me so happy that you guys like it.**

Joey walked into school Monday morning in a daze. She knew Andie had come home a few days ago. Jack had even invited her to a welcome home party that Jen and Ms. Ryan had thrown for her. But she had back out at the last minute. She couldn't handle seeing Andie so happy knowing that she didn't have a clue about what was going on. Contrary to belief, Joey Potter wasn't a frigid bitch.

"Joey!" Andie yelled as soon as she saw her.

"Hey." Joey said letting herself be pulled into an awkward hug.

Joey looked over Andie's shoulder to see Pacey looking at his feet. She sighed wishing things could be different.

"Where were you Saturday?" Andie asked finally pulling away.

"My boss wouldn't let me take the day off."

"Yeah, Pacey said he was a real jerk."

Joey nodded not knowing what else to say. Andie walked away without another word. Pacey looked at Joey as everyone moved around them.

"I'll walk you to class."

"Pacey…"

"It's next to yours. I don't mean anything by it."

Joey nodded again wishing that she didn't feel the way she did. But then again, she could get used to nice Pacey. The old Pacey would have taken off long before now. She felt his hand brush against hers as he adjusted the strap of his bag. She looked over at him to see him staring at her. They stopped outside her class. Pacey was still staring at her as the bell rang.

"Thanks Pace." She said giving him a small smile.

"Anytime Potter." He said pulling on her ponytail.

XXXX

At lunch Joey was sitting with Jack and Jen when she saw Dawson coming over to their table. Followed by Henry Parker.

"Oh no."

"Hey look, Jen. It's your boyfriend." Jack said under his breath.

"Shut up McPhee." Jen said glaring at him.

Joey hid her smile behind her hand. She didn't want to feel uncomfortable around Dawson. Hopefully he would make it easy on her. It wasn't like she could switch tables today. She looked across the cafeteria and saw Pacey sitting with Andie. He gave her a smile and a wave before turning back to Andie.

"Jen?" Henry asked looking at her.

"Can we talk outside?" She asked grabbing her things.

"Sure." He said smiling at her.

The three left behind watched them in shock.

"At least she didn't let him down in public." Joey said watching the door shut behind them.

"You don't know? She finally caved and told him she'd go out with him." Jack said before biting into his sandwich.

"Has hell frozen over?" Joey asked looking shocked.

"No. She figured going out with him once would shut him up." Dawson said not looking up from his textbook.

"That's mean!" She said sounding hurt.

"She was desperate." Dawson said still not looking up.

Joey grabbed her books and walked out of the room. She couldn't believe Dawson would say something like that. Yeah, Henry could be annoying, but he didn't deserve to have Dawson talk about him like that. Since when did Dawson become an insensitive jerk? She heard her name being called down the hall. She ignored it as she opened her locker.

"Jo." Jack said catching up with her.

"What Jack?"

"You know Jen wouldn't lead Henry on don't you?"

"I know, its just Dawson. He's being a jerk. I didn't want to be around him."

"What's up with him?"

"I have no clue. Today is only the third time I've talked to him since he came home."

"You've been wrapped up in other things." Jack said trying to be the voice of reason.

"Don't start." She said poking him in the chest.

XXXX

Joey was watching Jack during football practice when she saw Dawson sitting on the sideline. She saw someone out of the corner of her eye sitting on the opposite side of the field. She was blonde; that was all she could tell. Jen sat next to her putting her head on Joey's shoulder.

"Protect me, I can't deal with them anymore." She said with a sigh.

Joey laughed as she stared at the blonde across the field.

"Hey Jen, do you know who that blonde girl is on the bleachers over there?"

"No. I've never seen her. Does she go here?"

"I've never seen her either." Joey said still watching her.

"I wouldn't worry about it. She's probably just a football fan."

"Or a Dawson fan." Joey said rolling her eyes as the girl made her way to Dawson.

Joey and Jen watched the girl practically throw herself at Dawson. They made their way over to the other side wanting to know what was going on. Well Jen did, Joey bolted when the girl whispered in Dawson's ear. He had moved on, that would make things easier.

Dawson watched her walk away as Eve played with his hair. Jen cleared her throat making Dawson look up.

"Hey. Who's your friend?"

"Eve this is Jen. Jen, Eve."

"Hi." Jen said staring at the girl.

Eve walked away without saying a word. Jen gave Dawson a weird look before going back to practice. He wished Joey had stayed; he didn't want things to be weird. Then again, he had made them that way.

XXXX

Andie was studying in her room when she heard something hit her window. She pulled back the curtain and saw Pacey. He had scaled her trellis, just like he had less than a year before. She let him in knowing that she needed to be honest with him.

"What are you doing here? It's almost midnight." She asked hugging him.

"I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to you too." She said as he sat in her desk chair.

"I haven't been honest with you." He said raking a hand over his face.

"About what?" Andie asked sounding scared.

"While you were gone I spent a lot of time Jo."

"Joey Potter? I noticed you two were getting along."

"Yeah, we're friends now."

"Well that's good. But what does that have to do with you being honest with me?"

"I realized I had feelings for her."

"What?" Andie asked bolting up from the bed.

"Andie sit down." Pacey said putting a hand on her arm.

"Pacey, how could you do something like this?"

"I haven't done anything. I haven't so much as kissed her; hug yes. But we've always done that. You know that." Pacey knew she wouldn't take it well. He should have told her as soon as he realized what was going on.

"So you just expect me to accept this?" She asked with tears in her eyes.

"No, I could never ask you to do that." He said trying to calm her down.

"What do you want me to say Pacey? That I understand?"

"No." Pacey said shaking his head.

"Good, because I don't." She said walking to the window.

She opened it and he stopped just before he climbed down.

"I'm sorry." He said trying to make her believe him.

"Just go." Andie said crying.

Pacey walked home thinking that she would eventually understand. He knew she would take it hard, but Dawson would take it harder. Even if he didn't want Joey in his life right now, at least that's what Dawson wanted them to think.


	6. Facing the Music

Chapter Title: Facing the Music 

**Paring: Pacey/Joey**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Kevin Williamson is still a genius. **

**AN: I'm glad you guys are liking this story so much. It makes me crank these out every day. **

Pacey stood outside her house wondering what he would say to her. He should be upfront and honest. That always worked, he doubted she would ever trust him again if he lied to her. So he knocked on her front door hoping she was home. Bessie answered the door with Alexander on her hip. She gave him a small smile as she let him in.

"She's still asleep. Alexander was up all night, and she offered to take care of him."

Pacey nodded making his way down the hall. He knocked on her door waiting to hear a response before he walked in. The room was dark except for a sliver of light coming through the curtains. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand down her back.

"Wake up Jo." He whispered in her ear.

She rolled over not opening her eyes. She hadn't expected him to be here. He hadn't come over since falling asleep on the couch with her on Tuesday. She was glad he was here though.

"I told Andie." He said above a whisper.

She opened her eyes wondering if she had heard him right. He sighed before she moved over in bed. He lay next to her as she put her head on his shoulder.

"How did she take it?"

"Not good. But at least she knows."

"I don't think Dawson will be a problem." She said looking up at him.

"Why?"

"I saw with another girl yesterday."

"Blonde? Looks like a Playboy bunny?"

"I'd rather forget her, but yeah."

"That's Eve. You okay with it?"

"It's fine. I just never saw him as the type to be shallow." She said sighing.

Pacey knew she still had issues with Dawson. And he hoped to take her mind off of him. He knew they had a long way to go before they were ready to start dating. But being with her now was nice. They lay there until Bessie knocked on the door.

"Come in." Joey called to her not bothering to move.

Bessie stuck her head in. She smiled seeing the two of them.

"I'm going to get Bodie. I don't think I'll be home tonight." She said walking into the room.

"Okay." Joey said looking at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Bessie walked out of the room with Alexander toddling behind her. Pacey ran his hands through Joeys' hair and she closed her eyes. She didn't plan on getting out of bed today. Not until she had to go to work. Work, ugh. Hopefully Pacey would go with her.

"I have to work this afternoon."

"You want me to protect you from the big bad college man?"

"Would you?"

"Sure." He said tickling her.

"Stop!" She said laughing.

"Why? It's fun." He said rolling over on top of her.

Joey stared up at him trying to catch her breath. Pacey smiled down at her making her breath hitch all over again. He leaned down to brush his lips against hers. When she didn't pull away he applied more pressure. Joey wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him to her. He rested his arms on either side of her head as he ran his tongue along he bottom lip. She opened her mouth letting him in. They heard someone at the front door and Pacey put his hands on her shoulders.

"Ignore them." He said against her lips.

She kissed him letting herself get lost in his touch. Whoever was at the door had made their way inside.

"Jo?" Jack yelled from the living room.

Pacey rolled off of her as Jack walked down the hall. He stopped outside her door wishing he had called first. Pacey was staring at the ceiling as Joey sat up. Her hair was a mess and her lips were swollen.

"Obviously this is a bad time." He said backing away.

"Jack wait a minute." Joey said going after him. She kissed Pacey's temple before getting off the bed.

Jack was getting in his car when Joey caught up with him. He stared at her wondering what she was going to say.

"I'm sorry you walked in on that."

"Yeah, that was uncomfortable." He said running a hand through his hair.

"It was for me too."

"I doubt it was for Pacey though." He said with a smile.

"It probably wasn't."

"Let him know I'm sorry for barging in like that."

"I will."

"Call me later." He said hugging her.

"Sure."

Joey watched as he pulled away. As she walked in the house she heard Pacey in the kitchen. She leaned against the counter watching as he made breakfast. He looked over at her and winked. She smiled at him before hopping onto the counter.

"What are you making?" She asked trying to look into the pan.

"Noneya." He said blocking her view.

"You are so immature sometimes." She said playfully hitting him on the shoulder.

"Do you want breakfast or not?" He asked quirking an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry chef Witter. I won't pick on you again." She said giving him doe eyes.

"That's what I thought." He said kissing her nose.

XXXX

Dawson stood outside Joeys' house. He had to have heard Andie wrong. Pacey didn't love Joey. They could barely stand each other. He walked around the side of the house and saw something in the kitchen window. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw them. Granted they weren't doing anything, but body language didn't lie. The way Joey was leaning towards Pacey practically screamed that something was going on. Dawson walked away not wanting them to see him.

He was home a few minutes later tying his boat to the dock. Jen watched him from her front yard. She could tell something had happened. She walked over to him wanting to be his friend.

"Hey Dawson." She said walking up behind him.

He looked up giving her a wild look. Oh God, he knew. She would have to warn Pacey and Joey, and do major damage control.

"Who told you?"

"Andie." He said shaking his head.

"I am so sorry." She said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You knew?"

"I knew they had feelings for each other. But I don't know if they've acted on them."

"Well they have. He's over there, something happened. I just don't know what." Dawson said sitting on the dock.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"What do you think Jen? I just lost my soul mate to public enemy number one."

"Try not to think about it like that. You want her to be happy right?"

"Yeah."

"I know you'd be happier if she was with you. But don't you think Pacey is smart enough not to ruin a good thing?" Jen asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

She was right, but he would never admit to that. He wanted to be mad at them. But he knew if anyone could make Joey happy it would be Pacey.


	7. Keeping an Open Mind

Chapter Title: Keeping an Open Mind 

**Rating: T, because it is Dawson's Creek we're talking about.**

AN: I want to say thank you to everyone who has been nice enough to give me encouragement on this story. I appreciate it.

Dawson saw Joey at her locker. Pacey was nowhere to be found, so he made his way over to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned around. She gave him a shy smile as she closed her locker.

"I need to talk to you." She said as they walked down the hall.

"I need to talk to you too."

"I haven't been honest with you."

"I know."

"What?" She said looking up at him with scared eyes.

"I know about you and Pacey. I can't say that I'm happy, but I'll get over it."

"Who told you?" She asked stopping in the middle of the hall.

"Andie."

Joey nodded not looking up at him. Was she in the Twilight Zone? Dawson was telling her that he didn't care if she dated Pacey. He was giving her his blessing. She looked up and saw Pacey coming towards them. He stopped when he saw Dawson.

"Come here Pacey." She said holding out her hand.

"It's fine. I'm confused, but not mad."

Pacey couldn't hide the smile that spread across his face.

"Just keep the PDA's to a minimum. I don't think I can stomach that." Dawson said with a smile.

"I don't know if I can do that. Ya see, Potter can't keep her hands off of me." Pacey said looking down at her.

"Shut up." She said shoving him.

"See?" He said pulling her to him.

"I'll see you guys later." Dawson said walking away.

Pacey looked down at her still smiling. She looked up at him and let out a laugh. He picked her up and spun her around. She wrapped her legs around his waist as she buried her face in his shoulder. They didn't care that people were watching.

"See, what did I tell you? Everything will be fine." He said running a hand through her hair.

"I didn't think it would be that easy."

Pacey put her down but didn't let go of her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. They heard someone clear their throat and they pulled apart. Andie stood behind them not looking at either of them.

"Sorry." Joey said as she moved.

Andie brushed passed them to get to her locker. Pacey looked at Joey and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back knowing that things would get better.

XXXX

Dawson sat with Jack watching as Jen got cornered by Henry. She had been giving into him more and more lately. And they hadn't even gone out yet. Dawson shook his head wondering when things had changed. Jen sat down in between them and smiled.

"So how's our favorite Cheerleader?" Jack asked hiding his smile.

"If you want to know what I said to him just ask." She said opening her drink.

"What did you say to him?" He asked putting his head in his hands.

"Sometimes you can be such a girl." She said shaking her head and smiling.

"Tell me! I'm your best friend." He said giving her puppy dog eyes.

"We're going out tonight."

"He wasn't as bad as you thought huh?" Dawson asked joining the conversation.

"No he wasn't. He's really sweet, not what I expected at all." She said shaking her head again.

They settled into silence when Jack and Dawson saw Jen making eyes at Henry. The girls in their lives were not themselves. Joey was in love with someone other than Dawson. And Jen was falling for her total opposite. Yeah, they were definitely in the Twilight Zone.

XXXX

Jen stood in front of her mirror checking herself one last time. She heard the doorbell ring and she sighed knowing that tonight would be like nothing she had ever known. Grams had gone to her Bible group so Jen was stuck answering the door herself, something else she wasn't used to.

She opened the door and Henry stood there in shock. She smiled wishing she had the innocence he did. She hadn't felt like that in a long time.

"You can come in. I'm not quiet ready."

"You look beautiful." He said once he was inside.

Jen smiled in response, maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad after all. They left a few minutes later. They walked down the pier side by side but Henry was afraid to touch her. So Jen made the first move and reached for his hand. She looked over at him and he stared at their hands.

"You okay?" She asked smiling at him.

"I'm fine." He said smiling back at her.

"First dates with someone new are never easy. It's supposed to be awkward."

"What if it's my first date ever?" He asked nervously.

"It is?" Jen was shocked; she never would have guessed that.

"Yeah." He said running his hand through his hair.

"Well you could have fooled me. What happened to all that talk about going after what you want?"

"I asked you out didn't I?" He said stopping them.

"Yeah you did." She said nodding.

He leaned down pulling her to him. She sighed knowing she wouldn't stop him. She swore she saw fireworks when he kissed her. It was like experiencing something for the first time. She had let her guard down and had let him in. He pulled away smiling down at her.

"Okay, if you tell me that was you're first kiss I'm gonna call you a liar."

"It wasn't." He said putting his forehead to hers.

"Good." She said as she let out a laugh.

The night had been perfect. So perfect that Jen didn't want it to end. They stood at her door drawing out the end of the night. She saw Grams in the window and she sighed.

"I better get inside."

"Yeah." Henry said running a hand down her bare arm.

"I don't want to though." She said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Wait a few more minutes." He said leaning down to kiss her.

Something fell inside the house making them pull apart. Jen hugged him one last time before opening the door. Henry walked down the stairs backwards hoping he didn't trip and fall. Jen laughed as he looked over his shoulder to check to make sure he was down the stairs.

"Bye Henry. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." He said smiling.

Jen shut the door and fell against it. She hadn't felt like this before, not even with Dawson. She had been with Dawson to try and erase the pain she felt. It had worked for a while, but it didn't last. She hoped it did this time.


	8. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter Title: The Truth Comes Out 

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but Jack is my personal slave… Really!**

**AN: LoVe, your question gets answered in this chapter. I bumped it up a little. **

Andie stood outside his house waiting for him. She felt bad for blowing up the way she had. Knowing that what she had done was three times as bad made her worry about how he would take it. Granted they weren't together, but he had a right to know.

"Can I help you?" Someone asked from the porch.

"Hi Mrs. Witter, I'm waiting for Pacey."

"He's down at the dock." She said walking down the stairs.

"Okay, I'll leave then. Do you know when he'll be home?"

"He said something about going to the Potter's to help them with the B&B afterwards. So not until late."

"Thanks Mrs. Witter." Andie said getting into her car.

Of course he would be with Joey. She wasn't as mad as she let on, just hurt. She was glad he was happy, even if it wasn't her that was doing it. She drove home fighting back the urge to cry. Joey wasn't a bad person, she was the one of the most stable people Andy had ever met. She had to be, with her dad in prison, and her sister being an unwed mother, and to make things worse she had lost her mother. Joey had to deal with a lot. Anyone else would crack under that kind of pressure.

XXXX

Joey was washing a window when she felt a rush of cold water against her back.

"Pacey!"

"You looked hot, I thought I'd cool you off." He said climbing onto the boat.

"You just want to see me wet." She said giving him a smile.

"That too." He said wrapping his arms around her.

Joey leaned up on her toes and planted a loud kiss on his lips. She pulled away laughing as she moved out of his reach.

"Come back here Potter!"

Joey took off down the dock with Pacey chasing after her. She ran into someone almost falling over. Pacey grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling. Her boss stood in front of them with his folded over his chest. Joey hated the guy with a passion. But if she wanted to keep he job she had to be nice. Even if he did come on to her right and left.

"I got a complaint from someone this morning. And guess who it was about?" He asked staring at Pacey.

Joey looked over her shoulder and Pacey shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what the guy was talking about.

"They said that someone was hanging around here an awful lot. And distracting my attendant."

"He's not a distraction. He helps me!"

"And how is him chasing you around helping you?" He asked glaring down at her.

"Look, if it'll make you happy, I'll leave." Pacey said holding up his hands in surrender.

Joey gave him a stern look. The guy walked away and Pacey wrapped his around her again.

"Call me if you need me."

"He just made that up."

"I know." He said kissing her forehead before letting her go.

Joey watched him leave. She sighed as he turned the corner. There were only two more hours in her shift. As long as she kept clear of the pig head she called a boss she would be okay.

XXXX

Dawson lay on his bed watching a movie. At least he was trying to. But for some reason Jaws couldn't seem to hold his attention. He looked out the window, seeing an apple sitting on the sill. His night was about to get interesting. Eve climbed through his window giving him a sexy smile.

"Do you always keep that ladder there?" She asked lying next to him.

"It's for anyone that needs it." He said rolling over to face her.

"I might need it again." She said leaning in.

Dawson pulled her to him and rolled over with her on top of him. He had no clue where his dad was, but he thanked God that he wasn't home. She smiled down at him before kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her close to him. He heard someone downstairs and Eve quickly pulled away. Dawson heard his dad calling his name as he stared out the window. She was already gone.

If things like this kept happening he'd stay a virgin forever. He sank into the pillows wishing his dad had come home half an hour later. His dad watched him from the door. What he had to say could wait. He walked away without saying a word.

XXXX

Pacey pulled up at Joey's seeing Andie's car. What was she doing here? He got out of his car and saw her sitting on the porch.

"What are you doing here Andie?" He asked stepping onto the porch.

"Your mom said that you would be here. No one's here."

"I know. Jo's at work and Bessie is in Boston." He said wondering what she wanted.

"I need to talk to you. Remember I told you I hadn't been honest with you?"

"Yeah." He said sitting down on the steps.

"I cheated on you this summer."

"What?"

"I know. I feel like such a hypocrite." She said with a sigh.

"You made me feel like dirt when I broke up with you. And I didn't even do anything wrong. Now you're telling there was someone else? I don't even know you."

"I'm still me." She said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You asked for time. Now I'm asking you for some."

"I didn't think you would be this upset."

"I'm not. I just wish you had been honest."

"I really am sorry." She said walking off the porch.

"Yeah." He said watching her get into her car.

He had to tell Joey, he needed to see her. And yet, a certain blonde college frat boy was there. It would have to wait until later.

XXXX

Jen watched as Henry walked across the yard. She couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face. She had seen him an hour ago at school, and yet it felt like forever.

"Hey." He said opening the screen door.

"Hey." She said smiling up at him.

"Is your Grandmother here?"

"No."

"Good." He said leaning down to kiss her.

"She's next door."

He quickly pulled away and sat next to her.

"I'm just messing with you. She won't be home for hours."

"You're an evil woman." He said leaning in to kiss her again.

She pulled away and put her head on his shoulder. She was glad she had been wrong about him. She could see herself being happy with him. She was glad she had waited it out. Now she had a boyfriend that not only thought she was beautiful but would do anything for her. She liked that idea.

AN2: I know this chapter is short. I wanted to add more, but when I finished typing it was almost twenty pages! So I broke it up into three chapters. And another thing, I need your help. I can't remember the guys name who worked at the Marina. I wanna say Mark or Ryan… but I'm not sure. If anyone remembers his name, let me know.


	9. Date Night

Chapter Title: Date Night 

AN: I wanted to take a second to tell you guys that I won't be making Eve Jen's sister. I didn't like that idea even when the show was on. I mean, who keeps that kind of thing a secret for seventeen years? I wouldn't do that to someone. So I've got another idea for getting her out of the story.

Jack watched Henry and Jen from the field. Henry had escaped practice and he and Jen were now under the bleachers talking. Jack shook his head wondering when he would find someone to love. It wasn't easy for him like it was the rest of his friends. They had always been careful not to flaunt it around him. And he appreciated it, he did. But if he didn't find someone soon he was going to go crazy. All he was asking for was someone who knew what he was going through. Someone he could vent to and not feel like he was a burden.

Jen pushed Henry's hands away from her chest knowing someone would find them. He tried again before she laughed. He settled for running his hands down her stomach as he leaned down to kiss her. She fisted her hands in his hair as his tongue slipped past her lips.

"Parker!" Mitch yelled from the field.

"Go." Jen said before pushing him away.

He kissed her one last time before running back onto the field. She shook her head and laughed as she watched him from the bleachers. He was staring at her when he was supposed to be running drills and Mitch yelled at him again.

"Lindley get your squad together and head out. I don't need another distraction." Mitch said walking over to them.

"We're going." She looked over Mitch's shoulder and waved at Henry.

He waved back with a grin. All the girls laughed and the guys catcalled as Jen walked backwards off the field. Henry shook his head trying to shake her from his thoughts. The two of them had it bad, and everyone knew it.

XXXX

Joey was sweeping the porch of the B&B when Pacey drove up the driveway. She smiled at him when he got out of the truck. He stood in front of her and pulled her off the porch. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried to his truck . He sat her on the hood and stood between her legs.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had to help Doug out today." She said playing with hair at the nape of his neck.

"I came down with something." He said looking into her eyes.

"Like what?" She asked giving him a incredulous look.

"I have got the Joey Potter disease. I can't eat, I can't sleep. All I do is think about you." He said sounding serious.

"We'll just have to do something about that." She said pulling him to her.

"Mm hmm." He said before kissing her.

Joey felt him moan deep in his throat as she ran her hands down his stomach. Her hands pushed up his shirt wanting to feel his skin under her touch. He pulled away just out of her reach.

"What are you doing?" She asked giving him a questioning look.

"You are trying to make me forget why I came over here." He said putting his hands on her knees.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about taking out on a date. A real date."

"You mean we won't be spending the night in front of the TV?" She asked with a smile.

"Not if I can help it."

"So what are we doing?"

"It's a surprise. Go and tell Bessie you're leaving."

"Give me five minutes." She said hopping down off the hood.

XXXX

Andie was trying to study, but she wasn't getting anywhere. She knew she needed to buckle down but she couldn't stop thinking about Pacey. He had moved on, but she found it hard to move on herself. Mark had called her a dozen times since she had come home. Maybe it was time to call him. She picked up the phone hoping he would want to talk to her. She heard his answering machine and she sighed. She didn't want to leave a message, so she hung up. She would just have to call Jack. It wasn't the same not having him there with her.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jackers."

"My beautiful sister finally decides calls me. What's wrong?"

"How do you do that?" She asked sounding sad.

"I can tell by the sound of your voice something is wrong."

"I tried to call Mark."

"The guy from this summer?"

Jack was the only person other than Pacey that knew. She knew he wouldn't tell.

"He wasn't there."

"You didn't leave a message?"

"No."

"What happened to the determined girl from last year? That wouldn't take no for answer?"

"She lost her nerve."

"Well then find it!" He said making her laugh.

"Thanks Jack. I miss you."

"I miss you too. But I'm still not coming home."

"I know, I'll see you tomorrow."

Andie hung up feeling better. Jack was right, she needed to get back to her old self. And the only way she was going to do that was to take charge of the situation.

XXXX

Pacey and Joey were driving down a deserted road that Joey didn't know.

"Where are we going?"

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Where are we?"

"Would you stop with the questions?" He asked looking over at her.

She stuck out her tongue at him making him laugh. He pulled over and turned off the engine.

"We're here." He said getting out of the truck.

Joey unbuckled her seat belt but her door was opened before she could reach for the handle. Pacey held out his hand and she took it. She had never thought of him as the romantic type. Yeah, she had heard stories from Andie. But she had never seen it for herself. He reached into the back seat and pulled something out. He put it under his shirt before Joey could see it.

"What are you hiding?" She asked trying to lift up his shirt.

"You'll do anything to touch me won't you?" He asked looking down at her.

"You know me." She said staring back at him.

"You don't like surprises do you?" He asked brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"I don't like being strung along."

"I'll make it worth it." He said kissing her forehead.

Joey sighed giving in. She let him lead her down a path as she tried to take in her surroundings. She had no idea where they were. He looked back at her and gave her reassuring smile.

"You trust me don't you?"

"Not so much right now." She said shaking her head.

"You'll love this, I promise." He said stopping.

He moved out of the way letting her take in what was in front of them. They were on a bluff and the ocean spread out in front of them seeming endless. The sun bounced off the water making it look even more beautiful. Joey looked over at him and smiled.

"This is beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it." He said pulling her to him.

He kissed her letting his hands rest on her hips. She sighed against his lips knowing that there was nowhere else she would rather be. He pulled away and pulled up his shirt.

Joey laughed when he laid a blanket on the ground for them.

"There's more." He said walking down the path.

He came back with a basket. She stared at him with her mouth open.

"You made us a picnic?" She asked in awe.

"Not only that. But I brought a radio." He said pulling a cordless radio out of the basket.

"Why are you being so sweet?" She whispered against his lips.

"Because you deserve it." He said before kissing her.

They sat in silence watching the sun set. The radio was turned on low as they lay in each other's arms. Pacey ran his hands down her arms feeling her shiver. He loved knowing he could do that to her. He sat up pulling her with him. They stood in each other's arms rocking from side to side to the music. She leaned down putting her head on his shoulder.

I had no choice but to hear you You stated your case time and again I thought about it 

You treat me like I'm a princess

I'm not used to liking that

You ask me how my day was 

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole

You're so much braver than I give you credit for

That's not lip service

You've already won me over in spite of me

And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

You are the bearer of unconditional things

You held your breath and the door for me

Thanks for your patience

You're the best listener that I've ever met 

You're my best friend

Best friend with benefits

What took me so long

I've never felt this healthy before

I've never wanted something rational

I am aware now

I am aware now

You've already won me over in spite of me

And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

And don't surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

The song was perfect, it described how Joey felt perfectly. She could see herself falling for Pacey. And she knew he felt the same way. She lifted her head and smiled when she saw him staring into her eyes.

"Is it too soon to tell you that I love you?"

"No." She said still smiling.

"I love you Jo." He said putting his head to hers.

"I love you too." She said with a sigh.

They headed home a little while later. Pacey had really taken her by surprised. She was completely floored by the time he dropped her off. She was getting ready for bed when she heard someone tap on her window. She pulled back the curtain and saw Pacey staring back at her. She opened the window and helped him inside.

"I had to see you."

"You jus saw me five minutes ago." She said staring at him.

"I was in the driveway thinking that if I didn't do something I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight."

"What?"

"This."

He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her not caring that someone could walk in. She pushed his jacket off as he walked them backwards towards the bed.

"We don't have to do that." He said pulling away.

"You don't want to?"

"I do. But I don't want to rush it."

"You're right. I don't want to either." She said straddling his lap.

"I should go." He said against her hair.

"Yeah you should." Bessie said from the door.

"I'm going." He said getting up from the bed.

"Next time use the door." She said putting a hand on his shoulder as he walked past her.

He gave her a look before she rolled her eyes.

"I don't care if you come over at night. But this door is to stay open when you do." She said pointing at him.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a smile.

**AN2: I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm closet romantic, can't you tell? And I thought the song was perfect. I always thought that they should have used it on the show. It's 'Head Over Feet' by Alanis Morrisette. I love that song.**


	10. A First Time For Everything

**Chapter Title: A First Time For Everything**

**AN: I don't know is going on over at ff right now. I spent half the day trying to fix the last chapter yesterday. And every time it would turn out the same way. It was perfect when I typed it out. Oh well, I'm over it. Hopefully this one turns out okay.**

Jen stood at Henry's locker knowing she needed to be honest with him. She hadn't been up front with Dawson, and look where that had gotten her. She shook her head in frustration. She was scared that he would get scared and run. Even though he didn't seem like the type that would do that, it could happen. He walked up to her and pinned her against the lockers. She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him but he shook his head then pressed his lips to hers. She forgot everything she was going to say to him giving into him. The warning bell rang making her push him away.

"I need to talk to you about something. Come by my house later?"

"Yeah." He said before kissing her one last time.

That bought her a few more hours to think of what to say. How do you tell someone you love that you were a far cry from the person they thought you were? Granted, she wasn't like that anymore. And she didn't plan on returning to her wild ways anytime soon. But he still needed to know.

XXXX

Pacey sat on Joey's bed waiting for her to get out of the shower. He had been over a lot lately. So much that Bessie was threatening to start charging him rent. He knew she wouldn't though. He had been fixing things left and right, and during pretty much anything else he could do to help get the B&B opened before spring. He heard the shower turn off and a mental picture of Joey in a towel popped into his head. He groaned knowing he wouldn't last much longer. They had talked about it and even insinuated that it would happen soon. But he had always left the when part up to her. He doubted she was ready now.

Joey came into the room a minute later wrapped in a towel. Pacey groaned again before getting up off the bed. He walked over to her running a finger down her arm. She looked up at him with expectant eyes.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me? I'll never get you out of my head now." He whispered huskily.

"I know." She said not breaking his gaze.

"Is Bessie here?"

"She's laying down."

"Then that's my cue to leave." He said brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"You don't have to. Just give me a few minutes to get dressed." She said putting a hand on his arm.

"If I stay I'll just get myself in trouble." He said against her neck.

He kissed her neck making his way towards her chin. He kissed her cheek then finally met her lips. A door opened down the hall and Joey shoved him towards the window. He climbed out nearly tripping making his way to the truck. He looked at her window before he opened the truck door. She smiled at him before he shut the door. She watched him drive away before she left the window. She heard Bessie in the bathroom so she knew he had gotten away without her seeing him. Joey was in the kitchen a few minutes later when Bessie walked in.

"Did I hear Pacey a few minutes ago?"

"He was a here for a minute or two." Joey said avoiding her sisters' eyes.

"Why did he leave?"

"He had something he had to do."

Bessie accepted that and walked away. Joey let out a sigh of relief knowing she wouldn't be so lucky next time.

XXXX

Jack hated when Jen conned him into going to the store for her. She always asked him to get the weirdest things. Luckily she had never asked for tampons. But she had asked for shaving cream, deodorant, and some kind of organic ice cream. The things he did for his best friend, he hoped she appreciated him. He was grabbing the ice cream when someone's hand laid his or her hand over his. He looked up and saw the most gorgeous man he had ever seen.

"You can have it. You're hand was on it first." The guy said taking his hand away.

"No go ahead. My friend can live without her ice cream." Jack said with a laugh.

"You sure?" The guy asked giving him an unsure look.

"Yeah." Jack said not wanting the guy to leave.

"I'm Ethan." The guy said putting the ice cream in his basket.

"I'm Jack." Jack said glad the guy wasn't running away screaming.

"So you're from around here?" Ethan asked looking at him.

"Yeah, and you're not. I would have seen you before."

"It's a pretty small town?"

"You take four lefts and you're back where you started."

Ethan laughed walking with Jack to the registers.

"I'm new in town. Just moved here last week. Maybe you could show me around?"

"Sure." Jack said writing his number down on Ethan's receipt.

Jack would have to thank Jen when he got home. If it weren't for her nagging he never would have left the house so she could be alone with Henry.

XXXX

Jen sat on the pier behind the house with Henry. She had finally come clean and he had been silent for the few minutes since it happened. Which wasn't a good sign. She braced for the worst. He looked over at her and she was sure he was going to tell her he never wanted to see her again.

"That's in the past right?"

"My wild and wicked ways? Yeah." She said not sure what he was going to do.

"Everyone makes mistakes. No one's perfect. It's okay that you're not."

"And yet you are." She said brushing a piece of hair out of his eyes.

"No I'm not. I just haven't lived yet." He said with a smile.

"Stick with me, I'll change that." She said against his lips.

"I'm looking forward to it." He said kissing her.

She couldn't put into words how happy she was. Or how shocked she was when he had just accepted it for what it was. She wasn't used to having someone be so accepting of her.

XXXX

Andie was working on homework when the doorbell rang. She sighed before going downstairs. She gasped when she saw the person standing before her. She hadn't expected him to show up.

"Can I come in?" He asked giving her a pleading look.

She opened the door wider so he could walk by and he pulled her into his arms.

"I was really surprised when you called me. I thought you were still with your boyfriend."

"We broke up not long after I got back."

"You told him?"

"Not right away. I told him a couple days ago."

"Then why did you break up with him?"

"He broke up with me. For another girl."

"So he cheated on you too?"

"No, they didn't get together until after we broke up."

"I'm sorry I haven't called." He said wrapping his arms around her waist.

"It's okay, I was scared to call you too."

"I'm really glad you did." He said before kissing her.

Andie sighed against his lips feeling weightless against him. Being with Mark was nothing like being with Pacey. Mark understood her in ways Pacey never could. And she hated to say it, but she trusted Mark more than she had ever trusted Pacey. She didn't know where things were going, but where ever they were going she would follow willingly.


	11. Defending Her Honor

**Chapter Title: Defending Her Honor**

**AN: I haven't updated in forever. I know. I've been busy. And I can't apologize enough.**

**Disclaimer: I have Pacey locked in my closet. Yes, I do. :rolls eyes:**

Joey was filling a boat tank when she heard someone come up behind her. Pacey wasn't there, so it could only be one other person. She turned around with a sigh. She folded her arms over her chest giving him a questioning glare. What had she done now? He stared at her, looking her up and down before he said anything. She rolled her eyes wishing she could slug him, just once.

"What do you want Rob?" She asked getting impatient.

"Drop the hostility. I just came to tell you to take your break." He said holding up his hands in surrender.

Joey walked into the office to get a drink when she heard the door close behind her. Rob was behind her with his hands on her hips turning her around. She threw up her hands trying to push him away but he grab them pushing her against the cooler.

"You know, a girl your age shouldn't look as good as you do. It's a crime really."

"I'll tell that to the police when I file the report. Back off." She said trying to pull her hands from his grasp.

Rob shook his head in reply before leaning in just inches from her face. Joey pulled her leg back as far as it would go before bringing it back and kneeing him in the groin. His head jerked up and he glared at her. But he didn't let go, he pushed her legs apart with his knee before leaning again.

"Don't want you getting any more ideas." He said just inches from her lips.

He kissed her pushing his tongue past her lips as tears started to form in her eyes. She couldn't fight him; she knew if she did he would just come after her again. She should have quit this job weeks ago. Someone walking past the door made him pull away.

"By the way, you're fired." He said giving her an evil smile.

Joey stood frozen where she was. He couldn't do that! She hadn't done anything wrong. She pulled herself together and walked out of the office. She saw Rob wiping down a boat as she turned the corner. She didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to get away.

She walked for hours until she realized she had walked to Pacey's. She should have known she would end up here. Where else would she have gone? She walked up to the door and knocked. Someone could be heard walking around inside and a light in the front room came on. John Witter opened the door squinting at Joey. It would be her luck that he would answer the door.

"Is Pacey here?" She asked hoping he wouldn't yell at her.

"He's asleep. Like I was until a few minutes ago." He said in a gruff voice.

Joey winced letting out a sigh. She heard someone behind him and she looked over his shoulder. Pacey stood in the hall with a confused expression on his face.

"Jo, what are you doing here?" He asked standing next to his dad.

His dad walked back down the hall and shut his bedroom door. Pacey pulled Joey inside and led her to the couch. She chocked back a sob as he sat next to her. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She cried into his chest as he rubbed her back. He didn't know what had happened that would bring her there in the middle of the night. But whatever it was someone was going to pay.

"He kissed me." She forced out in between sobs.

Pacey pulled away looking her in the eye. Had he heard her right?

"Who kissed you?" He asked trying not to lose his temper.

"Rob. He fired me Pacey!" She said trying to calm down.

"Did he force himself on you?" He asked not believing what he was hearing.

Joey nodded as she closed her eyes. She still couldn't get the picture out of her mind. Pacey sucked in a breath still trying to remain calm. He would have to go down there in the morning.

XXXX

Dawson felt something brush against his cheek. He brushed it away as he tried to go back to sleep. He heard someone sigh then felt the bed move. He opened his eyes to find a pair of blue ones staring down at him.

"I told you I'd need that ladder." Eve said staring down at him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness.

"You know why I'm here. We have some unfinished business to take care of." She said before kissing him.

She stretched out on top of him as he pushed her shirt up her stomach. She pulled away long enough to pull her shirt over her head. He reached behind her to unclasp her bra then she let it slide down her arms. She put her weight on him again as he pulled his own shirt over his head.

"I don't.." He said feeling ashamed that he wasn't prepared.

"Already ahead of you." She said pulling a condom out of her pocket.

Their clothes were in a pile on the floor before Dawson could respond. He had always thought Joey would be his first. But he wasn't complaining, the girl above him was perfect. But he couldn't help but feel guilty. He didn't know why, Joey had moved on. He closed his eyes as he came back down. Eve lay on top of him trying to catch her breath. She pulled away from him and got dressed.

"See you around Dawson." She said before slipping out the window.

He groaned before falling back onto the bed. Why had he let it happen? He knew why, he was the last virgin other than Joey that he knew. He had done it because he had wanted to say that he had done it. Which was a terrible excuse, but it was his. He couldn't take it back now.

XXXX

Pacey and Jack stood at the end of the Marina staring at Rob. He was down at the end of the dock talking to an older man. They could wait until the guy left. But once he did, they had business to take care of. The guy left a few minutes later and Pacey and Jack watched as his boat faded out of sight. Pacey went first and made his way quietly down the dock. Jack followed him a minute later.

Rob was in the office when Pacey found him. He turned around when he saw the shadow behind him. Rob glared at Pacey letting him know that he was just begging Pacey to do something. Jack walked up a few seconds later and stood shoulder to shoulder with Pacey.

"What is this? You two come to defend her honor?"

"You had no right doing what you did."

"I didn't do anything. She threw herself at me." Rob said with a shrug.

Pacey chuckled as he shook his head. He had known Rob would say that. He would say anything to save his ass. But nothing was going to save him now. Pacey and Jack walked into the office and Jack shut the door behind them. Pacey backed Rob into a corner before he reared back and punched him. Rob let out a grunt as Pacey's fist connected with his jaw. Pacey kneed him making him fall to floor in pain. Jack kicked Rob in the stomach before Pacey pulled him back up.

"You may have scared her, but you don't scare us." Jack said shoving Rob against the wall again.

"One more thing, if you tell anyone about this I'll make sure everyone finds out what you did to her. I will make your life a living hell." Pacey said before opening the door.

They walked out without looking back. They had gotten their point across. Rob wouldn't be telling anyone what had happened. Pacey just hoped that Joey would understand what they had done. She had asked him not to go down there. But he couldn't let the guy get away with it.

**AN: I know, it's a little short. And yes, I made Eve leave right after it happened on purpose. It just seemed like something she would do. I promise I won't wait a week and half to update again. I should be able to update again by Monday.**


	12. Going Out Of His Way

Chapter Title: Going Out Of His Way 

Summary: Joey wasn't looking for a knight in shining armor. But she found one in the least likely of places. This is how I would have liked to see season three turn out.

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them.**

**AN: I wrote out an outline for this story a couple of weeks ago. This is going to be a long story you guys. Thirty chapters in all, this story is long from over.**

Dawson had been trying to find Eve for days. He hadn't seen her since the night she showed up at his house. People don't just disappear into thin air. But if she had left town without saying anything then maybe he had gotten the best part of her. He knew he shouldn't think of it like that. But that was how he saw it. He had asked everyone that he knew that knew of her and none of them had seen her. Jen had given up spending time with Henry to help Dawson find her. They went back to his house after giving up.

"Why is she so important to you?" Jen asked sitting on his porch.

"She isn't, I guess. I just felt this pull towards her."

"And the fact that she all the things she told you were a lie didn't make you hate her?"

"No."

"My, my, my how you've changed Dawson Leery." She said standing up.

Dawson watched her walk across the lawn and disappear into the house next door. He shook all thoughts of Eve as he walked into his house. He heard something in the living room and he stopped in his tracks. He thought no one was home. His dad's jeep wasn't in the yard. His mom came out of the living room straightening her dress and smoothing her hair.

"Hi honey."

"Hey mom." He said giving her a questioning look.

His dad came out a few seconds later buttoning his shirt.

"Dawson. I thought you were with Jen."

"I was, but we decided to come home."

He left them were they stood as he wondered what was going on. Could his parents be getting back together? He could hope couldn't he?

XXXX

Joey watched as Pacey hung a door in place. She had been put in charge of making sure he didn't break anything while Bessie and Bodie went away for the weekend. They had even found someone to watch Alexander. She had the house to herself for the entire weekend. She couldn't believe her luck. Now all she had to do was tell Pacey.

She smiled watching him wipe away sweat from his forehead. He caught her staring at him and put down the screwdriver he was holding. He walked over to her without saying a word. Joey wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him to her. She leaned up kissing him lightly. When he didn't stop her she pulled him by his shirt into her room.

Pacey stopped her as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He grabbed her hands before she could reach for his belt.

"What is going on?"

"You don't want this?" She asked looking up at him with worried eyes.

"Yeah I do. But do you?" He asked trailing his fingers down her arm.

"I want it too." She said before kissing him again.

Pacey pulled away long enough pull her shirt over her head then crushed her lips his again. Joey moaned in his mouth as he trailed his hands down her stomach to the hem of her skirt. He walked them backward towards the bed pulling her down on top of him as he fell onto the bed.

They lay in a tangle of limbs an hour later in silence. Pacey was all for letting things sink in. He knew Joey would want that, he understood. He had some thinking of his own to do. Like what had changed her mind? He wasn't complaining, but up until an hour ago he had no clue this would happen. This wasn't what he had come over for today. He came over to spend time with her; that was all he wanted. He had gotten more than he could imagined. And he wasn't complaining. He just hoped that Joey didn't think he would always expect it now.

Joey lay next to him with her head on his chest. She couldn't believe she had waited this long. Truth be told she had been ready on their first date. She saw a chance to be alone with him and ran with it.

XXXX

Dawson was working on his computer when he heard someone at his door. He looked up and saw his parents staring at him expectantly. He told them they could come in not knowing what to expect. Gail sat on the bed while Mitch sat on the windowsill. Neither of them knew where to start. They knew should be honest, it was good news. He would be happy. But they didn't expect things to magically go back to normal. They didn't want him to expect that either.

"Dawson we have something we want to tell you." Gail said breaking the silence.

"Your mom is moving back in." Mitch said smiling at her.

"I figured that out already." Dawson said with a smirk.

They both shot him worried looks.

"I'm fine with it. More than fine." He said nodding his head.

"Well okay then." Mitch said clapping a hand on Dawson's back.

His mother walked over to them and wrapped her arms around the both of them. Things were starting to feel like normal again. But Dawson knew it would be a while before things went back to the way they were.

XXXX

Joey had fallen asleep snuggled close to Pacey. He ran a hand through her hair before he tried to get out from under her. He didn't want to wake her up. He pulled on his clothes and made his way out of the room and walked into the kitchen.

Joey woke up a couple of hours later to the smell of something she could place. Whatever it was, it smelled really good. She followed the smell to the kitchen and saw Pacey leaning over the oven. She leaned against the doorjamb watching him in silence. He turned around and motioned for her to come over to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she laid her head on his chest.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"What you're cooking woke me up. What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

"How long was I asleep?" She asked seeing the empty grocery bags littering the floor.

"A couple hours. Long enough for me to go shopping and start dinner."

"You going to let me clean up this time?"

"I don't think so. I told you last time I would do it. I'll do it this time too." He said before kissing her forehead.

He pushed her away playfully telling her to get out of the kitchen. He would come and get her when everything was ready. Joey sat in the swing in the front yard. She saw the Leery's in their front yard taking pictures. It was good to see them happy and together. It had been a long two years for them. But things were starting to look up.

A little while later Pacey came outside to get to her. He sat next to her pulling her feet into his lap. She smiled at him before leaning back into the seat.

"How long until dinner's ready?"

"Half an hour. You hungry?"

"Well I did work up an appetite today." She said giving him a sly smile.

"Josephine Potter, watch your mouth!" He said tickling her.

Joey laughed trying to get away from him. He grabbed her feet keeping her in place. She gave him an innocent smile before leaning over to kiss him. He pulled her into his lap and she moved to straddle him. She moaned when he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. Pacey pulled away a few minutes later.

"Lets go back inside." He said getting up after Joey got off his lap.

A little while later Pacey was putting dinner on the table. Joey walked into the room taking in her surroundings. Candles were scattered across the room providing the only light in the room. Pacey had pulled out the good china even though Bessie had threatened death if anyone used it. She stood next to him watching him light the last candle.

"You got out the good china?" She asked letting him pull out her chair for her.

"The situation called for it. We don't get a weekend alone that often." He said pushing in her chair.

He went back into the kitchen while Joey craned her neck to see what he was doing. He came back into the room carrying a dish held high so she couldn't see what was in it. He sat it down in front of her and she smiled. He had made Eggplant Parmesan for her. He had gone out of his way to make her favorite meal. She didn't even know he knew how to cook it.

"How did you do this?" She asked as he sat across from her.

"Bodie taught me how to make it a couple weeks ago." He said smiling at her.

She shook her head in wonder. She learned something new about him everyday. And everyday he would take her by surprise. She couldn't wait to see what happened next.


	13. The Truth About Pacey

Chapter Title: The Truth About Pacey 

**Summary: Joey wasn't looking for a knight in shining armor. She found one in the least likely of places.**

**AN: I know it's been almost two weeks since I updated. But I have a valid reason, I swear! I sliced my hand open a couple weekends ago. I still have the stitches to prove it. But they come out tomorrow. And I was starting to go crazy not being to write so I'm doing it anyway. Stitches or no stitches. Hope you all like it.**

Joey turned over in bed thinking of a million ways to destroy her alarm clock. She had turned it off three times already and the thing would not shut up. Bessie stood at the door holding a cup of coffee. She shook her head watching Joey toss and turn in bed.

"Joe, you have to get up eventually. I'm not letting you play hooky just because you were on the phone half the night with Pacey."

"Why can't you have some sympathy for once?" Joey asked from under the covers.

"Cry me a river. Get up, Pace'll be here soon."

Joey groaned one last time before knocking the alarm clock to the floor. The batteries fell out of it and she smiled in satisfaction. She got out of bed with a sigh. She was just going to have to tell Pacey no the next time he called to vent at one in the morning. They had talked until four, and it took her another half an hour to fall asleep after that. He was having trouble with his dad again. He had said that he would rather live on True Love than live at home. True Love wasn't even done yet. It was the shell of a boat right now. She hoped he wouldn't have to do that.

Joey was brushing her hair when Pacey pulled up. She was out the door before he could get to the stairs. He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep either. They rode to school in silence. He sighed when she took his hand in hers. She ran her thumb across his palm in slow circles trying to calm him down. She didn't like seeing him like this. Him not saying anything now was starting to worry her. Which meant that something had happened that morning.

Dawson was at his locker when they walked by. He looked up giving both of them a weird look. He didn't want to know. Whatever was going on wasn't his business. As much as it hurt him to say that he knew it was true. He couldn't protect Joey anymore. She had Pacey for that. And so far he hadn't let anything happen to her.

XXXX

Joey was making a in one of the guest rooms when she heard Pacey call her name. He had been avoiding her ever since lunch. She had gotten a ride home with Jack and Jen because he was already gone when she got out of school. She walked out of the room and almost collided with him. She grabbed hold of his arms to steady herself.

"So you're talking to me now?"

"I'm sorry for earlier. I had a lot on my mind."

"And you couldn't talk to me about it?"

"Look Joe, I apologized. And I'm talking to you now. Does that mean anything to you?" He asked looking her in the eye.

Joey sighed before nodding her head. Pacey led her down the hall to the living room. She sat on the couch as he sat down on the ottoman in front of her. He put his hands on her legs and she covered them with her own. He sighed looking down at their hands. Whatever it was it had to be bad.

"I moved out of my house."

"I knew something had happened." Joey said with a groan.

"He said that if I didn't like the way he wanted to raise me than I could leave. So I left."

"He calls the way he treated trying to raise you? Is he insane?"

"I know!" Pacey said with a sigh.

Joey let go of his hands and he stood up running his hands through his hair. He paced the floor letting Joey have time to sink everything in.

"He never paid attention to you, he would rather ground you than listen to what you have to say. He told you you were better off without Andie. And lets not forget about what he said when he found out about me and you."

"I'd rather forget that." He said through clenched teeth.

'_That girl is nothing but trouble. Her daddy cheated on her mamma. Don't think for a second that she won't leave you for Dawson when she has the chance.'_ That had really set Pacey off. His dad thought he knew everything. And that he was always right. Well this time he wasn't. Pacey was going to prove to him that he could make it on his own.

XXXX

Dawson was running late. He was supposed to be the restaurant ten minutes ago. He had promised his mom that he would help her screen more applicants for the restaurant. His mom was going through applications at the bar when he walked in. She looked up and rolled her eyes when she saw him come in.

"I know I'm late. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Just come on." She said patting the stool next to her.

They worked for two hours before Joey came in. Gail let Dawson go telling him she needed they could finish up tomorrow. He followed Joey out the door wondering what was going on. They walked down the street in silence. Joey stopped in front of the Rialto. She had heard that they were opening it again. Maybe they could go when it reopened.

"Is there a reason why we stopped here?" Dawson asked looking down at Joey.

"I was just thinking of all the times you, Pacey, and I went there." She said with a smile.

"Something wrong?"

"Pacey moved out of his parents house. He's living on the True Love."

"Is he insane?"

"No. Just frustrated."

"What happened?"

"It's not my place to tell. He'll tell you eventually."

"He can stay with me." Dawson said shrugging his shoulders.

"That's sweet Dawson, but he wouldn't do that. We both know why."

Dawson nodded knowing Pacey would never move into the Leery house. As much time as he had spent there he would feel like a burden if he moved in. And he couldn't live with Joey because Bessie had already said that she didn't want him there. She wasn't about to let her teenage sister's boyfriend move in with them. Even if she did feel sorry for him.

XXXX

Joey sat on the porch waiting for Pacey. The B&B had finally opened and people were coming in left and right. It was enough to drive Joey insane. She was to the point that she wished she could stay with Pacey. She saw the Witter Wagoneer pull up and sighed as she tried to pull herself together. His mom had been nice enough to talk his dad into letting him keep it. She didn't want her baby to have to ride his bike to school anymore.

Pacey got out of the truck and walked up the stairs. He sat down next to her and she put her head on his shoulder.

"How you doing?" He asked after kissing her forehead.

"I'm close to pulling out my hair." She said with a sigh.

"Think the warden will let you out to spend time with your boyfriend?"

"You go ask her. She has a hard time telling you no lately."

Pacey went into the house and came back out a minute later. He jerked his head towards the truck and Joey smiled. He took her hand and led her to the truck. He opened her door and smiled as she got in. He walked around the front and got in a few seconds later. Joey scooted across the seat and lay her head on his shoulder. He draped his arm across her shoulders as he pulled out of the driveway. She didn't care where they were going. She just wanted to get away from the craziness. She loved him even more for knowing what she was going through without having to say anything.


	14. Insert Foot Into Mouth Dawson Leery

Chapter Title: Insert Foot Into Mouth Dawson Leery 

AN: I know it's been forever since I updated. It's kind of hard to when your computer dies on you. But it's fixed now, so I will be updating more.

Pacey stood on Joey's front porch checking his watch for the third time in ten minutes. Only two hours and forty-five minutes to go. Then he could stop worrying. He didn't know why he had told Joey he would go to the Leery's Christmas party. Yes he did, she had promised that they could do anything he wanted for New Years. That was reason enough to say yes. He heard someone on the other side of the door as he straightened his jacket. Joey opened the door and he moved so she could step out.

She laced her arm through his as they walked to the Station Wagon. He opened her door for her like he always did and Joey smiled her thanks before he shut the door. She still found herself wondering why she had never noticed this side of him before they got together. Pacey slid into the drivers seat as Joey sat across from him staring at him.

He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow at her. She was still smiling at him. He gave her a weird look before she turned to fully face him.

"I still don't see how your parents can't see what a good person you are. If your dad would just let up on you I bet you could be just as good Doug." She said giving him a teasing smile.

"Do not bring my Gay brother into a conversation when you are telling me I am a good boyfriend. It kills the mood."

"I'm just kidding." She said rolling her eyes.

"Still, that's just wrong."

Joey giggled glad that he wasn't holding having to be around Dawson against her. She took his hand and pulled him up to the house. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"We don't have to stay the entire time. Just let me know when you're ready to leave."

Pacey let go of her hand and walked back to the car. He got in and raised her hands as tell her to get in. She rolled her eyes before shaking her head. He got out of the car and walked back over to her.

"You told me to tell you when I was ready to leave."

"Don't be a smart ass. I can take back what I said earlier. You know I will." She said walking up the stairs.

Gail let them in and Joey went to put the presents under the tree leaving Pacey to fend for himself. Someone walked up behind and he turned to see Jen holding out a drink.

"There had better be Scotch in that. That's the only way I'll make it though the night."

"Nope, Joey would never forgive me if I got you drunk. Sorry." She said once he took the cup.

Dawson came down stairs a few minutes later and saw Pacey in the living room. He sat down across from him and gave him a serious look.

"We shouldn't be fighting over a girl. We've been friends for too long to let a girl come between us. Can we be friends again?"

"So you're saying that Joey isn't worth fighting over? Did you love her at all?"

"That's not what I meant." Dawson said shaking his head.

"That's what it sounded like." Pacey said giving him a threatening look.

Dawson shook his head in frustration before getting up to walk away. He had stuck his foot in his mouth again. He always seemed to do that when he was explaining how felt about Joey to Pacey. He was waiting for the day when Pacey would haul off and hit him. Luckily that hadn't happened yet.

Joey stood off to the side and waited until Dawson walked away to walk over and sit next to Pacey. She put her head on his shoulder as he draped an arm over her shoulders.

"What happened?"

"He wants us to be friends again."

"That's good right?"

"I don't know. He always says the wrong thing when it comes to you. I've been really good about letting it slide. One day he's going to go too far."

"What did he say?"

"It's not important. What's important is that I love you."

Joey sighed before moving closer to him. He tightened his grip on her as Mitch started handing out presents. He stopped in front of Pacey and Joey and held out their gifts.

"They won't bite you. You can open them." He said giving them a teasing smile.

They took them wishing things could be the way they used to be. Things wouldn't change until Dawson finally got used to things. He said he was, but no one could tell if he was telling the truth or not. Joey opened her first and smiled when she pulled the Styrofoam out of the box. Inside was a snow globe with a gold base and a crystal angel with gold tipped wings inside. Her mother had started a snow globe collection for her before she was born. She had gotten one every year for Christmas. But she hadn't gotten one since her mom had died.

"Thank you." She said looking up with a smile.

"You're welcome sweetie." Gail said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Pacey opened his next and when he pulled the top off the box he was surprised to find what was inside. A watch lay against the cotton bottom of the box. A watch like Mitch's, Pacey had told him that he liked the watch over Thanksgiving. He hadn't expected Mitch to go and buy one for him.

"Thank you." He said smiling.

"You're welcome Pacey." Mitch said nodding his head.

The phone ringing broke he silence. Gail went into the kitchen to answer it. A few seconds later she called for Joey. Joey took the phone from her once she walked into the room.

"Hello?"

"Hey Joe, I hate to pull you away from the party. But I really need you to come home. We've had ten guests show up since you left. Alexander is throwing up in mine and Bodie's bathroom. I'm spreading germs everywhere I go."

"I'll be home in ten minutes."

Joey hung the phone with a sigh. She went to get hers and Pacey's coats and found him in the living room. Dawson was staring at them as she explained what was going on. A few minutes later they were in front of the B&B. Pacey cut the engine as Joey unhooked her seat belt.

"Do you want to come inside?" She asked before opening the door.

He nodded following her into the house. Bodie met them at the door. He waved at them before walking out the door. Joey went into the kitchen and pulled a plate out of the oven. When she turned around Pacey was sitting at the table.

"Alexander helped me make these earlier. He wanted to make sure you had some." She said sitting a plate of cookies on the table.

Pacey smiled to himself as she poured him a glass of milk. The night hadn't been that bad. He could have dealt without Dawson but other than that the night hadn't been terrible. He planned on making New Year's better.

**AN2: It's short, I know. But it's a filler chapter, I have to put them in sometimes. Don't forget to hit that review button. It makes me update faster.**


	15. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Chapter Title: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

AN: I'm finally updating this story. I didn't realize that it had been almost two weeks since I updated it. Sorry you guys. Things have been pretty crazy for me the past few days. So once I get passed Thanksgiving expect more updates.

Dawson stood at his window looking out across the creek. His eyes fell on Joey's house. He knew he should apologize to Pacey, but when it came down to it he had a right to be angry. After telling himself over and over again that he was fine with them being together he realized that he wasn't. And he shouldn't have to pretend that he is. At least that his was his opinion, ask anyone else and they would say that he was being selfish. He closed his blinds not wanting to think about it anymore. If they were as happy as they said they were than there really was nothing he could do. He would just avoid them like the plague. Even if it not being around Joey did hurt him. He would just have to focus on something else. But what? Joey had been the center of his world for as long as he could remember.

He wanted to understand that she loved Pacey. He wanted to understand that she had moved on without him. He knew he couldn't hold on to the past. He knew he needed to let go. But how do you let go of the girl of your dreams?

XXXX

Pacey stood leaning against Joey's door watching her walk around the room. He had shown up half an hour ago to take her to the movies. They were already late so he wasn't rushing her. They could go see the next one. She had told him repeatedly that she would be ready in a few minutes. The last time had been five minutes ago. Joey was standing by the foot of her bed when Pacey noticed something sticking out from under the bed. He walked over to the bed and Joey saw what he was reaching for.

"What are you doing?" She asked giving him a panicked look.

"I've never seen this. What is it?" He said picking up the box from off the floor.

"It's nothing. Give it here." She said holding out her hand.

"I don't think so." He said before holding it over his head.

"Pacey Jonathan Witter give it here!" Joey said jumping up to try and grab it from him.

"What is in here that you don't want me to see?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's personal." She said still fighting him for it.

Pacey backed away from her and she tried to latch on to his waist to make him stop.

"Lets see, a movie ticket to Armageddon, another one for Boiler Room. A Ben Affleck post card… Oh dear God." He said the last sentence under his breath.

"Their good movies!" Joey said getting defensive.

Pacey laughed in response. Joey lunged for him and finally tackled him to the ground. They were wrestling for the box when Bodie walked by the room. Bodie laughed and shook his head when he saw Joey sitting on Pacey's stomach reaching for the box. Joey leaned over Pacey and reached for the box one last time before Pacey gave up.

"You are pathetic." She said once she had gotten the box from him.

'I'm not the one who has a Ben Affleck box." He said rolling his eyes.

"No you have a Carmen Electra box. Which is a step up from the Pam Anderson box you had a couple years ago."

"How do you know?"

"Andy told me. Besides nothing is wrong with Ben Affleck."

"You like him because he looks like me don't you?"

"He does not!" Joey said smacking Pacey's shoulder.

"I've been told that I look like him."

"Was the person blind?" Joey asked laughing.

"A ha!" Pacey said with a fake laugh.

Joey tried to move away from him but he grabbed a hold of her waist. She fell on top of him as he attacked her sides. He tickled her until she had tears in her eyes because she was laughing so much. She fell on top of him trying to catch her breath. He wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from moving. These were the moments that Pacey liked the most. When they could be honest with each other and the other not get offended. Joey rested her head in the crook of his neck before running her fingers through his hair. He rubbed his hands up and down her back before kissing her forehead. They didn't really need to go out tonight. They could stay in.

XXXX

Jack had been knocking on Andy's door for the past two minutes and he was starting to get worried. Maybe something had happened to her. He tried the doorknob and the door opened. He shook his head wondering why he hadn't tried that first. He stepped into the room and noticed that Andy wasn't there. He had seen her go in ten minutes ago. Where could she have gone? He hadn't heard her go back downstairs; he hadn't even heard her door open. The window by her closet was open and the breeze was pulling the curtains.

Jack walked over to the window and looked down. Andy couldn't have climbed down there wasn't anything for her to climb down from this window. He looked up and saw two feet dangling over the side of the roof. He should have known she would go up there. They had always done this to get away from things when they were younger. Andy had been doing it a lot since Tim had died. He figured it was better to leave her alone. She would talk to him when she was ready. She always did.

The phone ringing pulled him from his thoughts. He ran down the hall to catch it before the machine picked up. '_Why didn't I pick up Andy's?'_ He thought to himself as he tried to catch his breath before he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is Jack there?"

"This is him." He said flopping down on his bed.

"You probably don't remember me. But we met at the grocery store. I'm Ethan." He said sounding a little unsure of himself.

Jack sat up in bed trying to hide his excitement. He couldn't believe Ethan had called him.

"You still there?" Ethan asked with a shy laugh.

"I'm still here."

"Is this a bad time?"

"What? No." Jack said quickly.

"Oh, okay. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do something this weekend."

"Sure." Jack said still trying to hide his excitement.

"Great. I've told my group all about you. They've been wanting to meet you."

"Your group?"

"My support group. Maybe I should told you that before I asked if you wanted to go."

"It would nice to have some warning." Jack said laughing nervously.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"It's fine."

"Great, maybe we can get something to eat afterwards. Just me and you?"

"That sounds good."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow and tell you about it. My room mate needs the phone." He said sounding agitated.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow then."

Jack hung up the phone not being able to hold back a smile. Andy watched him from the door and laughed when he threw a pillow at her.

"My baby brother has a date." She said teasing him.

"So what?" Jack asked trying to sound tough.

"When were you going to tell me about him?"

"When you tell me what's wrong with you." Jack said looking her in the eye.

"It's not as bad as it seems. Just guy troubles." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"If it gets worse you'll tell me. Right?"

"I'll tell you. 'Night."

"'Night." He said after she threw his pillow back to him.

Jack had trouble falling asleep. His thoughts went back and forth between Andy and Ethan. He hoped his sister would be okay. And he hoped that things weren't too awkward when he went out with Ethan. Then again, what first dates weren't? Was it even a date? Great, something else to keep him up.


	16. Just the Two of Us

Chapter Title: Just the Two of Us 

**AN: It's been forever since I updated this. I had a couple of other stories that I wanted to start first. Now that I have, I can update this more often. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them. Sadly they still belong to Kevin Williamson.**

The night was quiet when Pacey walked up the driveway to the B&B. He had learned the hard way that the headlights shown through the windows of Bessie and Bodie's room. He silently made his way to Joey's window. With the nights getting colder and the boat having limited heat it was harder for Pacey to stay on the boat. He tapped lightly on the window hoping Joey would wake up. Pacey said a silent thank you as the lamp on her nightstand came on. Joey pushed the curtains back and sighed when she saw Pacey. She opened the window and reached out her hand to help him get through the window.

He gave her a sheepish smile before she rolled her eyes and got back in bed. Pacey dropped his jacket on the floor by the bed as he kicked off his shoes. His pants were left on the floor on top of his jacket as he slipped under the covers. Joey turned to face him before he wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't mind that I came over do you?" He asked just above a whisper.

"No. I would've been over here hours ago if I were you." She said in a tired voice.

A few hours later Joey was woken up when she felt something wet on her cheek.

"Pace you're drooling on me." She said not opening her eyes.

"I hate to break it to you. But that's not me." Pacey said from across the room.

Joey's eyes shot open and she came in contact with a mass of brown curls. Alexander was lying on her with a big grin on his face.

"Did Bessie do this or did you?" She asked with a groan.

"Bessie said she needs you to make up the beds in the guest rooms. I told her I would do it. But she said she couldn't afford to pay both of us."

Joey groaned before sitting up in bed. She handed Alexander to Pacey before walking out of the room. She saw Bessie at the end of the hall giving her an threatening look. Joey gave her a guilty look before walking into the nearest room. It was going to be a long day.

XXXX

Jen walked through the halls of school alone. She couldn't find anyone to talk to. Which wasn't normal. Where was everyone? She saw Henry out of the corner of her eye and smiled. She had been doing that a lot lately when it came to him. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning down to kiss her. Henry threaded his fingers through her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Someone behind them cleared their throat making Jen pull away. Jack was standing behind them giving them a shy smile. Henry rolled his eyes before pulling away. Jack stepped between them as Jen looked at Henry. He had been acting weird lately. Every time one of her friends came around he got defensive. He walked away without saying a word. Jen followed after him calling his name. He stopped just before walking out the doors.

"What is wrong?" Jen asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Do your friends always have to be around?" He asked sounding aggravated.

"What's wrong with my friends?" She asked getting defensive.

"Nothing. They're just always around. We never have anytime to ourselves."

"You don't wanna share me?"

"My parents never taught me to share." He said pulling her to him.

"Well then, they'll just have to deal without me for a while." She said before pulling him out the doors.

XXXX

Later that night Joey was cleaning the kitchen when Bessie cornered her. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

"You know I don't mind if Pacey stays here. I don't want him to freeze to death. Despite what you might think, I'm not heartless. And I am still your guardian. If he wants to stay here he will have to come at a reasonable hour. And he will sleep on the couch. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Joey said closing the dishwasher.

"Good. I don't want to be the bad guy here Joe. You know that. But we have to set some rules."

"I said I understood. Can we drop it now?" Joey asked turning to face Bessie.

"Go." Bessie said rolling her eyes.

Pacey was in the living room watching Alexander when Joey walked into the room. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the front door.

"I couldn't stay in there for one more minute. She's driving me crazy."

"Do you think she would care if I stayed again?"

"As long as you sleep on the couch."

"I can't sleep in one of the rooms?"

"Those are for paying guest." Joey said looking at him like he was stupid.

"Right." He said starting the truck.

They drove through town in silence. Pacey had a plan. He just hoped Joey would appreciate what he was doing.

XXXX

Jen sat across Henry in her room. She was taking a big gamble letting him up here. Grams had gone to visit a friend for the week but she had been calling to check on things at least three times a day. She would just have to make him be quiet when Grams called. They had decided to order take out and watch movies. That way they could be by themselves. The house was quiet except for the movie playing in the background. The doorbell rang and Jen went to the window to see if she could see who it was. Dawson stood on her front porch shifting from foot to foot. She groaned before turning to Henry.

"Who is it?" He asked looking up from the movie.

"It's Dawson. I will be right back. I promise."

Henry sighed before nodding. She kissed his forehead before walking out of the room. Dawson knocked on the door as she walked down the stairs. Jen opened the door jus enough for stick her head out.

"Hey Dawson." She said smiling at him.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" He asked giving her a strange look.

"Kind of. I promised Henry that we wouldn't have any distractions tonight. He's not to keen on sharing me right now."

"I understand. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go get something to eat. I'll call Jack and Andy." He said turning to walk away.

"Bye Dawson." She said before shutting the door.

She was back upstairs and situated in Henry's lap less than a minute later. She leaned into his embrace as he kissed her temple. The rest of the night would be about them. Jen would do whatever she could to give Henry what he wanted.

XXXX

Pacey pulled off the highway and onto a narrow back road. He still hadn't told Joey where they were going. Hopefully she would remember. She turned in her seat to face him.

"We're going to the bluff?" She asked with a smile.

"I thought you could use some quiet time."

"You could use some too." She said taking his hand.

"That's why we are going." He said not taking his off of the road.

A few minutes later they were sitting on the edge of the bluff dangling their feet off the edge. Pacey was tracing lines on Joey's palm as she stared out across the water. So what if it was too cold? They were alone. It was pretty sad that they had to come up here to be alone but it was better than nothing.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or do I have to beat it out of you?" Joey asked looking over at him.

"Nothing's wrong." He said looking at her.

"Bull." She said tightening her grip on his hand.

He sighed looking down at their hands. He shouldn't have known better than to try and fool her. She knew him better than anyone he knew.

"My mom wants me to move back home. My pop pretty much said if I move back nothing is going to change. Why would I go back if nothing was going to change?"

"Doesn't it matter that your mom wants you there?"

"It does. But I can't go back."

"Then tell your dad that you won't come home unless he changes."

"I'd better off moving in with Dougie."

"Why don't you?" Joey asked laying her head on his shoulder.

"I will not move in with Deputy Doug."

"It's better than staying on the boat, or sleeping on the couch at my house."

"I'd be sleeping on the couch at Doug's too babe."

"I know, but you wouldn't have a screaming baby and guest waking you up."

"I'll think about it."

They sat in silence until they couldn't stand the cold any longer. At home that night Joey lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She hoped things would get easier for Pacey. She didn't like not being to help him. It made her feel helpless. She didn't like feeling like that.


	17. Meet the Parkers

Chapter Title: Meet the Parkers 

**AN: I'm finally getting around to updating this again. I've been having trouble writing this chapter. I erased it three different times. This is what finally stuck. Enjoy.**

Henry sat in his room wondering if inviting Jen over was a good idea. His parents had promised that they wouldn't do anything to embarrass him. There were plenty of reasons why he had never let her come over. His parents were the main reason. They treated him like he was ten years old. Being an only child had its disadvantages. His mom still referred to him as her baby. The thought made him cringe. He was trying to get Jen to forget their age difference. He had put all of his baby pictures in his closet. If his mom had more he didn't know about them. She had told him he shouldn't change just because he wanted Jen to like him. It was more than that. He had felt this way for a long time. Jen coming into the picture just made him stand up for himself sooner.

The doorbell rang and he took the stairs two at a time hoping to get to the door before his mom did. No such luck. Jen was walking in the door while his mom offered to show her around the house. She smiled up at Henry and he gave her a feeble smile in return. Jen gave him a weird look as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Henry, don't be rude. Come say hello." His mother said noticing him still standing on the stairs.

He came down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. So much for sticking up for himself. Jen watched him wondering what was going on. The Henry in front of her was nothing like the guy she had grown to love. The boy in front of her reminded her of Dawson when she first met him. He watched her walk away. He then turned back to Jen and rolled his eyes when she gave him another worried look.

"She still thinks I'm ten." He said standing in front of her.

"That's okay. Grams did that with me before I moved in. You're an only child right?"

"Yeah."

"It takes some getting used to when your baby grows up before your ready." She said teasing him.

He laughed shyly before pulling her into the dining room. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. She brushed her lips against his as they heard someone walk past the room. They pulled away and Jen looked over Henry's shoulder.

"Hi Mr. Parker." She said smiling at him.

Mr. Parker didn't respond. He walked down the hallway and a door down the hall shut a few seconds later.

"He's in his study. The bourbon is being opened right now. By the time we sit down to dinner he'll be on the feeling good train. Great." Henry said with a groan.

"It can't be any worse than when my dad walked in on me when I was having sex in my parents bed." Jen said trying to make him feel better.

He gave her a panicked look before she sighed. Maybe now wasn't the best time to bring that up.

XXXX

Joey sat at one end of the couch while Pacey sat at the other. Her knees were pulled up under her chin and she had a blanket wrapped around her. She hadn't been feeling good for the past week. She shouldn't still be sick, she had been taking medicine for the past five days. In between her constant running to the bathroom to throw up and Bessie's constant nagging she was ready to pull her hair out. Pacey had learned to keep his distance. He was all for being supportive. But he could do it a distance. He would bring her something to drink, something to eat. Hold her hair while she praised the porcelain Gods. He didn't have a problem with any of that. What he did have a problem with was the constant whining. Not just from Joey but from Bessie too. Bessie was at the end of her rope and was ready to take Joey to the doctor but she refused to go.

"I'll be fine in a few days." She had said the last time Bessie brought it up.

The conversation had been dropped finally. They had been arguing about it for three days straight. Pacey was ready to take her himself now. He didn't like Joey when she was sick. She was even more of a pain in the ass than normal. How had Dawson dealt with her? He knew he should be there for her. And he was, but he wanted his girlfriend to get better. Was that too much to ask?

Joey stood up too fast and almost fell back onto the couch. Pacey caught her in time and she gave him a thankful smile. That was what he needed. He wouldn't focus on the bad things. He needed to be supportive, and stop complaining. He walked her to the bathroom and flipped on the light as she grabbed on to the edge of the sink. He rubbed her back as she fought off a wave of nausea.

"Seriously, I am over this. When I found out who gave me this I am going to kill them." She said shaking her head.

"I'll help you." He said kissing her forehead.

Joey moved away from him and was on her knees in front of the toilette before he could react. He knelt down next to her and held her hair as she emptied her stomach. She heaved a sigh of relief when it finally subsided. Pacey helped her up and guided her back to the couch. Things would go back to normal soon. It was something nice to think about.

XXXX

Jen stood on Henry's front porch trying to get him to stop talking. He had been apologizing for the past half an hour. The night had been a bust. But Jen wasn't worried about it. She couldn't understand why Henry was making a big deal about it. Her parents done things that were ten times more embarrassing. She had tried to tell him that but he wouldn't listen.

"I can't believe he called you a skank whore. Who the hell does he think he is?" He asked shoving his hair out of his eyes.

"He was drunk Henry. People say stupid things when they're drunk." She said putting a h and on his arm.

"I'll understand if you never want to come over here again."

"Maybe not when your parents are home." She said shaking her head.

"I can't believe my mom told you that I slept in bed with them until I was seven."

"Only when you were scared. That's normal."

"You did it?"

"No. My parents never would have let me. But I wanted to."

"We have the weirdest parents ever."

"Every kid thinks that."

"I guess so." He said before walking her to her car.

"I'll call you when I get home."

He nodded before opening the door for her. She turned to face him and he leaned in to kiss her. She pulled away then looked into his eyes. She smiled at him as she brushed her fingers across his cheek. She got into the car and Henry stood in the driveway until she drove out of sight. Maybe she was right, things could have been worse.


	18. And Then the Bomb Dropped Out

Chapter Title: And Then the Bomb Dropped Out 

AN: I haven't updated this in a while, and I'm sorry. I've been hella busy lately. I've been trying to finish other stories and then the holidays crept up on me. I promise, the updates will be more frequent now.

She stared at the doctor in shock. She must have heard him wrong. He had asked her to come in because he said he had news. She thought he would tell her it was the flu or worse pneumonia. But he was sitting in front of her rattling on and on about pregnancy and adoption options. Bessie sat next to her silent and emotionless. Joey knew that wouldn't last long once they got into the truck. She noticed the doctor stand up and stick his hand out for her to shake. Bessie nudged her getting her attention. Joey gave him a weak smile before nodding her head. She didn't even know what she was nodding for. She couldn't hear him over the static and white noise in her head. She didn't remember much about what happened between the doctors office and the truck but she felt it when Bessie poked her to get her attention. Joey looked over at her and Bessie was giving her a venomous look.

"Have you heard anything I've said?"

"Sorry, it still hasn't sunk in yet." Joey said shaking her head.

Bessie shook her head and groaned in frustration.

"What were you thinking? Having sex before you're out of high school? It's like begging to get pregnant Jo!"

"I didn't plan on this." Joey said getting defensive.

"Well it's a little late for that now!" Bessie said raising her voice even more.

"Please don't yell." Joey said pleading with her.

"I have a right to yell! My kid sister's going to be a mom before she's eighteen." She said shaking her head.

Joey looked out the window as she wiped tears from her eyes. She hadn't expected this. She wasn't ready to be a mother. Bessie wasn't making things any better by yelling. She had to admit that she deserved it. How was she going to tell Pacey? How would he react? What if he broke up with her? A thousand other questions echoed in her head as they drove down the highway.

XXXX

Pacey walked through the parking lot minding his own business when he saw Dawson out of the corner of his eye. Jen and Andie were talking to him by Andie's car. He bowed his head hoping they wouldn't recognize him. Things were still tense between the two of them. Even if Dawson had apologized for what had happened at his parents house. Pacey got the impression that he only apologized so that Joey wouldn't think any less of him. So that way if Pacey and Joey didn't work out he would still have a chance. He slid behind the wheel of the station wagon and started it without looking back. He didn't like when Joey missed school. Having her with him made it bearable. He would have to go and see her later. He wanted to know what had happened at the doctor. He was walking down the dock when he saw something move on the boat. He quickened his steps hoping to catch the person before they got away. He was about to jump aboard when Joey came up the stairs. He stopped dead in his tracks trying to catch his breath.

"You scared the living daylights out of me Jo! Don't ever do that again."

"Sorry." She said in a small voice.

"What's wrong?" He asked giving her a worried look.

"We need to talk." She said pulling him down the stairs.

He sat across the table from her and she stared at her hands trying to find the right words. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling it was because of what had happened today.

"You love me right?" She asked finally looking him in the eye.

"What kind of question is that Jo?"

"Just answer it."

"Of course I love you. What's going on?"

"Would you love me if something really drastic happened and completely changed things?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked giving her a confused look.

"Answer the question Pace." She said just above a whisper.

"Nothing could make me stop loving you." He said reaching for her hands.

"Even if I was pregnant?" She asked looking him in the eye.

"What?" He asked pulling his hands away.

Joey could feel more tears forming but didn't move to stop them. One fell onto her hand as Pacey stared at her in shock. Maybe he had heard her wrong. Maybe he wasn't saying anything because he didn't want to say something to hurt her. If that was the case than she didn't expect any favors.

"Are you sure?" He asked finally breaking the silence.

"I spent half the morning at the doctors. Those test I took a couple days ago came back positive."

"I need to think about this." He said standing up from the table.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked in shock.

"It means that I need to let this sink in Jo."

Joey glared at him before standing from the table. She hadn't expected him to be happy but she hadn't expected him to react like this either. She walked up the stairs as more tears started to fall.

She walked around in a daze not realizing where she was going. It was nightfall before she finally pulled herself together. She took in her surroundings. She was standing in the Leery's front yard. She had lost count of how many times this had happened before. But she didn't belong here now. She turned to walk away when she heard the screen door open and shut. She stopped where she was trying to control her breathing. She hadn't meant to come here. Damn Pacey for being so childish. It was his fault she was like this.

"Jo?" Dawson said from a few feet behind her.

Joey slowly turned to face him. Her cheeks were still tear stained and her eyes were still red from hours of crying. She wished he hadn't come out to see her.

"Everything okay?" He asked closing the gap between them.

Joey shook her head before running her hands through her hair.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked giving her an unsure look.

She shook her head again fighting back more tears. She was not going to cry in front of him. Why couldn't she have gone next door? Things would have been so much easier if she had.

"Did you and Pacey have a fight?" Dawson asked trying to get her to open up.

Joey sighed before nodding her head. She hadn't wanted to. It was like she couldn't control herself and her body was rebelling against her. As if on cue more tears stared to fall. Dawson wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into the house. Mitch and Gail looked up in surprise when they walked into the living room.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. She was in the front yard." Dawson said shaking his head.

"Isn't that how it always happens?" Mitch said sarcastically.

"Not now Mitch. I think something's really wrong." Gail said giving him a warning look.

Gail crouched in front of Joey and put her hands on Joey's knees. She tried to look her in the eye but Joey wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Joey honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm…"

"You're what?" Gail said trying to break her out of her shell.

"Pregnant."

Shocked silence filled the room. She hadn't wanted to tell them. But it felt so good having someone be patient with her. The front door slammed and Joey winced when Mitch went after Dawson.

"Sweetie everything is going to be fine."

"No it's not."

"It may not seem like it now. But things will get better."

"How? Pacey won't even talk to me."

"Men can be like that sometimes. Give him a couple days. He'll come around."

"I hope so." Joey said wiping her eyes.

"Pacey's not the kind of person to walk away when things get bad. He's dealing with it in his own way."

"I should go." Joey said rising from the couch.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"No. I'm gonna go over to Jen's."

"I'll walk you over." Gail said walking her to the door.

Dawson and Mitch were sitting on the porch when Gail opened the door.

"I'm going to walk her over to Evelyn's. I'll be back in a little while."

Dawson wouldn't meet Joey's gaze as Gail and Mitch talked. It was just as well. He probably hated her. She didn't need to deal that right now. She could only deal with one person hating her at a time.

XXXX

Mrs. Ryan had been nice enough to let Joey stay the night. She wasn't the witch Joey had thought she was when she was younger. She was letting Joey stay no questions asked. A few years before she had spoke of fire and brimstone to Bessie while she delivered Alexander. And now it was like she was a completely different person.

"She's changed a lot in the past year Jo. Having a granddaughter like me and then having Jack live here mellowed her out." Jen said once Grams had gone to bed.

Jen had talked Jack into coming over to stay the night. It was best if Joey had a support system. It felt good having him back in the house. It hadn't been the same in the month since he had left. But at least Grams hadn't gone back to being uptight.

"I can't believe she didn't even bat an eyelash when Gail told her why I needed to stay."

"Yeah that even shocked me." Jack said with a laugh.

Joey had her head in his lap and he was running his fingers through her hair. She fell asleep a few minutes later. Jen looked down at her with a sad smile.

"You think she'll be okay?" Jen asked a few minutes later.

"She'll be fine. She's tougher than she looks." Jack said looking over at her.

"I can't believe Pacey reacted like that." She said shaking her head.

"He's scared. That's normal, Jo's scared too. But she's dealing with it in a different way."

"I hope I don't have to beat his ass to make him come around."

"I hope so too." Jack said laughing again.

The two friends were more worried than they would let on. They wouldn't admit that to Joey though. She had enough to worry about.

XXXX

Pacey watched the receding lights as the boat pulled farther out into the Ocean. This was the only way he was going to get any thinking done. He hated leaving without telling Joey but she was the reason he needed to be alone. He hated to admit it but he had been scared when she told him she was pregnant. More scared than he had ever been in his entire life. What did that say about him? He had always thought that he could handle being a parent. But he had never thought he would be one before he graduated from high school. He knew he was being selfish. But didn't want to deal with all of it right now.

**AN2: I decided to go with the original plan I had for this story. I hope you guys don't mind. **


	19. All is Not Always Fair in Love and War

Chapter Title: All is Not Always Fair in Love and War 

**AN: I didn't get a whole lot of feedback from you guys for the last chapter. I know making Joey pregnant is hard to grasp. But I promise you I will make it work. **

He had been gone for three days. It wasn't like him to just up and leave without saying anything. The longer he was gone the madder Joey got. She couldn't take much more. When she saw him again she was going to give him a piece of her mind. What kind of person runs away from their problems like that? Okay, so she had thought about it. But she hadn't gone through with it. He was acting like Dawson and she hated him for it. She walked into school the Monday after he left. She saw Jen, Jack and Henry standing by Jen's locker. Jen and Jack gave her reassuring smiles and she smiled back. At least she had them to lean on. She had tried to call Dawson all weekend. He wouldn't talk to her either. Which was only making things worse.

She walked into first period not knowing what to expect. Both Dawson and Pacey were in the class with her. She saw Dawson out of the corner of her eye but ignored him. It was just as well; he couldn't even look at her. She looked around the room as the bell rang but didn't see Pacey. It didn't shock her. She hadn't expected to see him. Class started but Joey tuned the teacher out when he announced that they were watching a movie. Now would be a good time to catch up on the sleep she had missed all weekend. Bessie hadn't made it much better. She had been giving Joey the silent treatment ever since their talk in the truck on Friday.

Bessie had spent the entire weekend in her room. Bodie would bring her food and try to get her to come out but Joey could always hear her yelling at him. Alexander had followed Joey around like a lost puppy all weekend. Which made it hard for her to be mad. The poor kid was so confused he didn't know what to do. Joey had trouble getting him to go to bed at night too. He would always climb over the bars of his crib and make his way to her room. He come in dragging his blanket behind him and holding his teddy bear under his arm. He would hold his arms up wanting to get up on the bed with her. He would fall asleep cuddled up next to her with his thumb in his mouth. She couldn't deny him that.

She felt someone brush against her as they walked past. She lifted her head to see Pacey sit down next to her. He kept his head turned to the front of the room refusing to look at her. He was still mad at her. It was just as well, she was still mad at him too. It didn't help that the seat next to her was the only free seat. It was where he had been sitting all year. Everyone knew not to sit there. So she couldn't place the blame on anyone but herself. She tried to pay attention to the movie but couldn't help sneaking glances at Pacey from out of the corner of her eye. He still wouldn't look at her. Why was he mad at her? If anyone should be mad it should be her. He was the one who had acted like a two year old. He was the one who had left instead of dealing with things. She shook her head in frustration. Being negative wasn't going to get her anywhere.

XXXX

After school that afternoon Joey was walking to Jack's car with him when she saw Pacey out of the corner of her eye. He was getting into his station wagon when he looked up feeling someone watching him. Their eyes met for a few seconds. Pacey was the one to break eye contact. Joey looked down at her feet trying to listen to what Jack was saying. Jack pulled her to him and draped an arm over her shoulders. He squeezed her shoulder letting her know that he understood. She looked over at him and gave him a small smile.

"He will come around. If he doesn't I'll beat some sense into him." Jack said trying to make her laugh.

"He'd flatten you like a pancake and you know it." Jen said walking up to them.

"You're right he would." Jack said with a laugh.

"Dawson you could take." Jen said sounding serious.

Joey shook her head with a smile. She had to give them credit for trying to make her feel better. It wasn't working. She wouldn't feel better until she got to talk to Pacey. She didn't know how much longer she could wait. Jen and Jack were talking in the front seat while Joey had tuned them out. She had been doing that a lot today. They pulled up to the B&B and Joey started to open her door. Jen turned in her seat to look at her.

"Try not to think about him. Give yourself a break for the afternoon." She said putting a hand on Joey's arm.

"If you need me to watch Alexander just call me." Jack said as she got out of the car.

Joey nodded before shutting the door. She was grateful that she had them in her life. She was lucky to have friends like Jack and Jen.

XXXX

Across the creek Dawson lay on his bed thinking about how his life had changed so drastically. His last chance to ever have Joey as his had slipped through his fingers. Even if Joey and Pacey didn't work out Pacey would always be apart of her life in a way that he never would be. Maybe he should cut his loses and just focus on being her friend. That's what she had wanted from the beginning.

He sat up pushing his hair out of his eyes. He slid on his shoes and decided that he would go over and talk to her. Even if she turned him down. At least he would know where he stood. The rowboat banged against the dock as if it was waiting for him to get in. He untied it before shoving off. He still didn't know that to say. It couldn't hurt to be honest. Right? He was willing to be friends as long as she was.

He turned the bend and saw her house come into view. He hadn't been to the B&B since it had opened. The space out front wasn't crowded but it did let him know that they had guest. He tied the boat to her dock and climbed the ladder. He saw Joey sitting on the front porch with a book in her lap. He cleared his throat getting her attention. She looked up giving him a questioning look.

"Hi." He said leaning against the railing.

"Hey." She said still staring at him.

"You haven't talked to him have you?"

"Pacey? Not since I told him I was--" She stopped not wanting to Dawson to feel sorry for her.

"It's okay, you can say it. You have to get used to it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She said squinting her eyes as she looked at him.

He sat down next to her and lifted a corner of the book. He gave her a questioning look when he realized it was her journal.

"I'm reading it to remind of me of times when things were easier. I would give anything to go back to when my biggest worry was if I got all my homework done before I left for school." She said with a laugh.

"You have more people that are willing to help you than most. You have more than Bessie has. She only has you and Bodie. You have my parents, Mrs. Ryan, Jack, Jen… and most importantly you'll have Pacey."

"Will I have you?" She asked looking over at him.

"You'll have me too." He said smiling at her.

She returned his smile as they talked. Neither brought up the baby or Pacey. Dawson wanted to take her mind off of them for a while. She was grateful that he understood that that was what she needed.

XXXX

He stood on the dock staring at the True Love. The lights were on inside so he knew that Pacey was there. He was still debating if he should climb aboard or not. He didn't know if he would be welcomed or if Pacey would throw him overboard without thinking twice. Life was about taking chances so he called out Pacey's name to get his attention. Pacey could be heard walking up the stairs and he glared at him when he stood at the top of the stairs.

"I don't have anything to say to you." He said wiping his hands.

"Well I have something to say to you." Dawson said folding his arms over his chest.

Pacey sighed in frustration before shaking his head.

"She's worried about you. Did you know that? She thinks you hate her."

"Why are you here?"

"Do you not care that you are hurting her?"

"It gives you the perfect opportunity to be the white knight." He said jumping down from the boat.

He shoved past Dawson and walked back up the ramp. Dawson followed him not relenting.

"She loves you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does!" Pacey said turning to face him.

"Then act like it!" Dawson said raising his voice.

"She has you, she doesn't need me." Pacey said shaking his head.

"Are you stupid or something? We're just friends!" He said getting in Pacey's face.

"Friends? It won't be like that for long. And I don't want to be a part of that!" Pacey said shoving him away.

"Stop it!"

They both turned to see Joey standing on the dock above them. She had tears running down her cheeks and was shaking with fear. Dawson moved out of the way so Pacey could go to her. But Pacey turned back to the boat and climbed back on board. He slammed the door leading down to the lower level making Joey flinch. Dawson walked the rest of the way up the ramp looking at his feet. He stopped beside Joey and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I asked you not to come down here." She said not looking at him.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I just wish he would talk to me."

"Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah." She said with a sigh.

Pacey watched them from the window. He closed the curtains hating the situation they were in. He had never had trouble voicing his opinion before. Now every time he opened his mouth he said the wrong thing. He had a case of the Dawson Leery syndrome. He hoped it wouldn't last much longer. He couldn't take much more.


	20. Seeing the Light

Chapter Title: Seeing the Light 

AN: Sorry it's taken me a little longer to get this out. I would have had it out earlier this week, but something's came up.

He sat listening to Pacey complain about everything from Dawson to their parents. Yet he never brought up Joey or the baby. That had to be a good sign. Pacey had been pacing the floor for half an hour as he listed off all the things that were wrong in his life. Again Joey and the baby weren't mentioned. Doug shook his head and chuckled as Pacey finally sat down across from him.

"Is something funny Deputy Doug?"

"No, sorry." Doug said clearing his throat.

Pacey rolled his eyes before laying his head on the table.

"What's really wrong Pace? It's not like you can't go home. And if you just talk to Dawson he'll more than likely forgive you."

"I am not going home." Pacey said lifting his head.

"And Dawson?" Doug asked looking at him.

"I don't know." Pacey said before lowering his head to the table again.

"So you don't want to deal with dad? That's understandable. I doubt it will be all that hard to find another place to live."

"With what money? Do we have a billionaire relative that I don't know about?" Pacey asked before getting up to pace again.

"Don't be overdramatic." Doug said rolling his eyes.

"I forgot, that's your job." Pacey said throwing his arms in the air.

"Do you want help or not?" Doug asked standing up from the table.

"What do you have in mind?" Pacey asked turning to face him.

XXXX

Joey sat in living room of the B&B soaking in the quiet. It was one of the rare days when there wasn't a guest to be seen. Joey saw that as a good thing, Bessie obviously didn't. She had finally come out of her room. But she still wouldn't talk to Joey unless she had to. Bodie had told Joey that she needed a little time to let things sink in. They had found out a week ago. Dawson was more accepting than Bessie was.

Bodie walked into the living room and sat next to Joey. Alexander squirmed out of his arms and sat between the two of them still sucking on his sippy cup.

Joey had to admit; having him around was soothing. When he wasn't crying or constantly wanting to be held he was a good baby. Joey ran her fingers through his curls smiling down at him.

"You're going to be a great mom. You know that don't you?"

Joey looked down at her hands not wanting to answer him.

"Pacey still won't talk to you?"

"No. The longer he stays away the more I want to put the baby up for adoption."

"You don't mean that." Bodie said turning to face her.

"I don't know if I can do it on my own." Joey said blinking back tears.

"Sweetie you won't. You have so many people that want to help you."

Joey wiped her tears away before getting off the couch. She walked out of the room and down the hall. She shut the door to her room before falling against it. Mrs. Ryan had brought up the idea of adoption. She had a point when she said that Joey had her whole life ahead of her. She didn't want to sound selfish. But with Pacey not in the picture how was she going to raise a baby? She didn't have that many options. But being a single teenage mother wasn't one of them.

XXXX

Pacey sat on the deck of the True Love watching ships come in and out of the Port. He knew he should go and talk to Joey. But he wanted to figure out what to say first. How do you make someone believe that you didn't mean to hurt them the way he had hurt her? The advice Doug gave him helped, but he knew he had some begging and pleading to do. Pacey would do anything to prove to her that he was sorry. But would Joey believe him? He hoped so. He would go over to her house first thing in the morning and talk to her. The last thing he wanted to deal with was irate Bessie. She could be pretty bitchy when he came over too late.

Someone coming down the dock made him sit up. Jack passed under a lamp before walking down the ramp. Pacey stood at the side of the boat sizing him up. He hadn't talked to Jack since he had found out about the baby. Jack and Jen had been avoiding him like the plague all week. Jack climbed over the side before facing Pacey with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might want to know how she's doing." Jack said following Pacey down the stairs.

"I'm going to see her tomorrow." Pacey said sitting down at the table.

"That's good. Maybe you can talk her out of giving the baby up for adoption." Jack said nodding his head.

"What?" Pacey said jerking his head up to look at him.

"She has it in her head that she won't be able to take care of the baby if you aren't around."

"Why?" Pacey asked giving him an incredulous look.

"Grams mentioned that if Joey couldn't do it on her own that adoption is an option."

"I won't let that happen." Pacey said shaking his head.

"I didn't think you would." Jack said smiling at him.

"So how is she really?"

"She was pissed for a while. Then she was stressed. Now she's just worried."

"I didn't mean to make her worry."

"I know you didn't. It's not everyday you find out you're going to be a dad at seventeen."

"Yeah it's not."

The two talked late into the night. By the time Jack left Pacey had decided what he would say. Now all he had to do was make Joey listen. That was the hard part.

**AN2: I know this chapter is a little short. But I wanted to leave you guys hanging. I'll put up the next chapter Monday. Until then let me know what you think. **


	21. Ain't Too Proud To Beg

Chapter Title: Ain't Too Proud To Beg 

AN: As promised here is the next chapter. I hope you all like it. Things are starting to look up for this story. I was beginning to like putting them through all the things they had gone through. And that's just not right.

Pacey walked into first period and noticed Joey already in her seat. He hadn't been able to go over to the B&B like he wanted to. He had barely made it to school on time. Joey was looking up at the board when he passed her. She looked down at her notes trying to avoid eye contact with him. He'd wait until after class to say something to her. The past few weeks hadn't been easy, but they had never brought their problems to school. Pacey looked over at her noticing that she was trying her hardest not to look at him. She raised her hand before clearing her throat.

"Yes Ms. Potter?"

"May I use the restroom?"

The teacher nodded before handing Joey a pass. Joey all but ran out of the room. Pacey raised his hand next.

"Go check on her Pacey." The teacher said not looking up from the pass she was writing.

He stopped long enough to take the pass before walking out of the room. He saw Joey close the bathroom door down the hall so he waited outside until she came out. She almost collided with him when she turned to walk down the hall. He grabbed hold of her arms to keep her from falling. She looked up at him with wide eyes before sighing in frustration. He looked down at her still holding on to her. He sighed before brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Let go of me Pacey. We need to get back." Joey said trying to get out of his grasp.

"Are you okay?" He asked not letting go of her.

"It's just morning sickness."

"I meant with the entire situation."

"Who have you been talking to?"

"That doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"So fine that you're thinking about putting the baby up for adoption?"

"I'm gonna kill McPhee." Joey said pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"He cares about you. And so do I."

"Yeah? Well you have a really screwed up way of showing it." She said finally breaking free of his grasp.

Pacey watched her walk away. She had every reason to be upset. He'd try to talk to her this afternoon he decided on his way back to class.

XXXX

Joey tried to forget what Pacey had said that morning. But a little voice in her head kept telling her to give him a chance. The little voice was more than a little annoying. It also sounded like Jen. Jen meant well, but she could be overbearing at times. Joey walked out onto the porch after talking herself into going to talk to Pacey. She hadn't made it off the porch when she saw a familiar station wagon come up the driveway. His inability to give up was one of the things she loved about him. Pacey got out of the car as she stepped down off the bottom step. He walked over to her looking at his feet.

"What happened to the guy from this morning?" She asked once he was standing in front of her.

He looked up and smiled at her. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

"He's still here." He said stepping closer to her.

"Prove it." She said folding her arms over her chest.

He pulled her to him then wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Do you believe me now?" He whispered in her ear.

"I think I need a little more convincing." She said trying to sound indifferent.

He pulled back to look at her then raised an eyebrow. He grinned at her before lowering his head. Joey wrapped her arms around his neck forgetting about all the stress and worrying that she had gone through. It was amazing how one kiss could change everything. Joey felt like the world was spinning and yet she wasn't moving. She melted into Pacey's touch feeling him smile against her lips. The door opened and closed behind them but they didn't notice. Someone clearing their throat behind them made pull apart. Pacey looked over Joey's shoulder and smiled shyly.

"Hey Bess." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Joey turned around in his arms but couldn't look Bessie in the eye. She hadn't been able to do since everything had happened.

"If you hurt her again I will castrate you myself. Do you understand?" She asked glaring at him.

"I understand." Pacey said nodding his head.

That was the first thing Joey had heard Bessie say about her in the past few days. She had ignored Joey ever since she came out of her room. Now she made her way to Joey as Pacey stepped away from her. Bessie wrapped her arms around her and started sobbing.

"I am so sorry. I'm a terrible sister."

"No you're not. You just don't want me to make the mistakes you did." Joey said running her hands down Bessie's back.

"That too." Bessie said with a laugh.

"I forgive you." Joey said reaching out for Pacey's hand.

She looked over at him as he watched in awe. She smiled at him as she squeezed his hand. Things were far from okay. But they were slowly getting better. They hadn't talked about the baby. But Joey knew it would happen. She didn't want to ruin the moment.

**AN2: Sorry this is so short. But I had to stop it before I decided to put something else in. If I had there would be too much going on and you would get confused.**


	22. Always Changing, Never the Same

Chapter Title: Always Changing, Never the Same 

AN: I know I haven't updated this in forever, please don't hurt me! I don't have any other excuse other than I just got busy and forgot about it. I'll try to make sure it never happens again.

"Does any one have anything they would like to add before we close the meeting?"

Jack looked around the room at everyone. When no one said anything the crowd dispersed with Jack and Ethan being two of the last ones to leave. This was only the second meeting Jack had been to. He still had his reservations about coming but he figured he should at least try before telling Ethan he didn't want to go. But now, with Ethan standing inches away from him Jack felt like he had a purpose. He was helping other people admit their feelings. Even if it were just to a group of strangers. He knew what it was like to be in their shoes. And he didn't want to feel that way again.

Ethan turned to look at Jack expectantly and Jack realized he was talking to him.

"You didn't hear what I said did you?" Ethan asked giving him a teasing smile.

"No." Jack said shaking his head with a laugh.

"Todd invited us to get coffee. Do you want to go?"

"I can't. I have plans with Andie."

"Andie?" Todd asked entering my conversation.

"My sister."

"I'll call you later." Ethan said putting a hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack nodded giving him a smile. Ethan wasn't the affectionate type. Jack was glad that he wasn't. Because he had never been one for public displays of affection. He watched them leave as he gathered his things. Andie came through the door a few minutes later. She sat down across from him getting the waitresses attention.

"I thought we were going to the movies." Jack said giving her an unsure look.

"We are. I just want to get something to eat first. That okay with you?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

Jack nodded putting his stuff back down. Andie ignored him as the waitress took her order, if she had been paying attention she would have noticed that Jack was in his own world. He wouldn't hear anything she said for the rest of the night.

XXXX

Jen was at the end of her rope. If Henry didn't shut up she was going to have to take drastic measures. He thought just because he was her boyfriend that he could tell her what to do. Right now he was complaining that she spent too much times with her friends.

"I would spend more time with you if you weren't so demanding." She said through clenched teeth.

Henry turned to face her giving her a hurt look.

"I'm sorry if I'm cutting into your time with your friends."

"Why are you acting like this? You're acting like your jealous."

"Maybe I am." He said stating the obvious.

"It's not like I'm in love with any of them."

"You've dated one. And came close to sleeping with another. What am I supposed to think?"

"Okay first of all, I am not still hung up on Dawson. And nothing happened with Pacey. He's practically my brother."

"You really expect to believe that? Who's the first person you run to when we have problems Jen?"

"Dawson." She said under her breath.

"Why is that?"

"Because he lives right next door Henry!" Jen said before getting off of her bed.

Henry followed her out of the room and downstairs to the front hall. She opened the door and looked at him expectantly. He rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's really mature." Jen said giving him a hard look.

"You making me leave just because you don't agree with me isn't any better."

"Please leave." She said through clenched teeth.

Henry held his ground as Jen tried to calm down. She looked up at him before rolling her eyes.

"If you won't leave then I will. You had better not be here when I get back."

"Go run to Dawson." Henry called after her.

Jen stopped at the screen door before turning back around. She walked back to him rearing her hand back. She hit him with all the force she had making him jump back in shock. She had busted his lip open. He brought a hand to his lip feeling the blood trickle down. She turned to walk away from him again hearing Grams pull up in the driveway. Henry shook his head before pushing past Jen to walk down the stairs. Grams looked at Jen expectantly once he had left.

"We had a fight."

"That's all you seem to do recently."

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Don't apologize Jennifer. If you have doubts than set him free."

Jen nodded before crossing the yard to Dawson's. She knew she shouldn't, but she needed a voice of reason.

XXXX

Dawson heard the front door open as he lay on his bed. He didn't bother to get up. He knew whoever it was would eventually come upstairs. A few minutes later Jen stood at his door. He gave her a feeble smile before she came into the room. She sat next to him on the bed before he pulled her down to lay next to him.

"Trouble in Paradise?"

"How much did you hear?"

"Just that he doesn't like you coming over here all the time."

"It's not like I tell him he can't hang out with his friends."

"Maybe he's not as close to his friends as you are with all of us."

"I can't imagine what I would do without all of you."

"You're Grams would have sent you to a convent by now."

"I'm sure she would have." Jen said with a smile.

Dawson let them fall into silence knowing that Jen would eventually tell him what had brought on the fight. He had some thinking of his own to do. Knowing that you're ex-girlfriend was pregnant with your ex-best friends baby wasn't easy to deal with. He knew things weren't going to be easy. But did he really expect things to go back to normal. As much as he wanted them to he knew they wouldn't. He was going to have to suck it up and be a man. Could he do that? He liked to think that given time he could.


	23. Conquering Your Fears

**Chapter Title: Conquering Your Fears**

**AN: I haven't updated this in a while. Every time I sit down to write something comes up. But I am determined to get this chapter out. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC. Maybe Kevin Williamson won't mind sharing. A girl can hope.**

He was about to do the one thing he had been afraid to do since he had found out about the baby. He was going to tell his parents. There was no telling how they would react. They hadn't reacted well when his older sister had brought her kids to stay with them while she filed for divorce. He could hear the kids yelling inside from sixty yards away. He knew his parents weren't going to react well but they needed to know. Joey stood next to him with her hand in his. She pulled him up the stairs knowing she wouldn't get him to the door any other way. She knocked as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Pacey looked over at her before squeezing her hand. She looked up at him with a smile. The door opened a few seconds later and they were let in by Mrs. Witter.

"John, Pacey's here. He's brought Josie." She said stepping into the living room.

"It's Joey ma." Pacey said correcting her.

His mother ignored him as she walked past them and into the kitchen. John Witter didn't look up from the football game he was watching so Pacey knew not to expect a greeting. He pulled Joey down the hall to his old room. His nieces had turned it into a life size dollhouse. All of his things were in boxes in the closet. Gretchen stood behind them watching the girls play. Pacey was glad she was home for the weekend. It was good to know that at least one person would be on his side. Gretchen had a habit of sticking up for him ever since she had moved out. Why she chose to do it then he would never understand. Sidney Witter stepped into the hall to tell them dinner was ready. Joey looked up at Pacey with worried eyes before being pulled down the hall by Gretchen. Carrie stood at the counter finishing up the salad when everyone walked in. John still hadn't acknowledged Pacey when they sat down to dinner.

"The only one we are missing is Doug." Sidney said with a smile.

"He's working late Sid." John said not looking up from his plate.

Sidney nodded her head before picking up the bowl of potatoes. She looked over at Joey with questioning eyes.

"Would you like some Jamie?" She asked with a smile.

Pacey opened his mouth to correct her but Joey dug her heel into his foot letting him know he didn't need to.

"Thank you." Joey said taking them.

She took some before passing them down to Carrie. She shot Pacey a warning glare from across the table. Gretchen saw her and stifled a laugh. John looked at his youngest daughter with questioning eyes.

"Something funny Gretchen?"

"No sir." She said shaking her head forcing back a smile.

Dinner was filled with very little conversation. It wasn't like at Joey's at all. She had never seen a family rush through dinner as quickly as the Witter's. John was the first one to leave the table. He went back to his game and made it clear that he didn't want to be disrupted until it was over. Which meant that they would be there for at least another hour. Joey offered to help Gretchen clean the kitchen looking for a reason to not be around Carrie. The woman scared her even more than Mrs. Ryan did. Pacey got roped into helping the girls clean their room. He gave Joey a pleading look before being pulled out of the room by the girls.

Gretchen and Joey cleaned in silence until they had to wash the dishes. She looked over at Joey giving her a questioning look.

"What?" Joey asked laughing nervously.

"What are you two hiding?" Gretchen asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Nothing." She said not meeting Gretchen's gaze.

"You let my mother call you by a name that wasn't yours three different times during dinner. Something is going on."

"I think me and Pacey should talk to your parents first." Joey said looking down at the dish she was drying.

"You're pregnant aren't you?"

Joey set the plate down with a thud before running her hands through her hair.

"Oh my God you are." Gretchen said staring at her with wide eyes.

Joey looked at her from under her eyelashes before nodding her head. Gretchen stared at her letting the news sink in. Neither of them noticed when Pacey came into the room. He came up behind Joey and wrapped his arms around her waist before kissing the back of her neck. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He looked at his sister with questioning eyes.

"I know."

"How?" Pacey asked giving her a scared look.

"She didn't tell me. I figured out on my own. You need to be upfront with them. Yeah dad will probably have a coronary. But they need to know."

Joey wiped her tears away before turning in his arms.

"She's right." She said looking up at him.

Sidney walked into the kitchen taking in the site in front of her.

"Is something wrong Jonie?"

"Ma, for the last time it is Joey." Pacey said trying not to lose his patience.

"I just need some fresh air. Pacey would you come outside with me?" She asked before walking out the back door.

He followed her out the door before grabbing hold of her hand.

"I'm sorry." He said pulling her to him.

"It's not your fault." She said with a laugh.

"I know it's not. But that will probably be the only apology you get." He said just above a whisper.

"I just needed a few minutes to pull myself together. Then we can go back in." She said into his chest.

He tightened his grip letting her know he understood. Ten minutes passed before she pulled away from him. She gave him a nod before opening the back door. Carrie and John were sitting at the kitchen table with Gretchen and Sidney when they walked in.

"Everything okay?" Gretchen asked being the one to speak up.

"Everything's fine." Joey said with a nod.

"We have something we need to say." Pacey said sitting pulling a chair out for Joey.

Joey sat down across from Gretchen as she met her gaze. Gretchen gave her a wink letting her know things were going to be fine. Joey hoped she was right. Pacey sat next to her and took hold of her hand under the table.

"I'm pregnant." Joey said breaking the silence.

"What?" Carrie asked staring at them with her mouth open in shock.

"She's pregnant." Pacey said not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Congratulations Pace. You proved me right." John said as he folded his arms over his chest.

"What is he talking about?" Joey asked looking at Pacey.

"He's been telling me I'm a screw up my entire life." Pacey said looking down at his hands.

"Mr. Witter I don't think it's fair that you would say something like that to your son." Joey said giving him a cold glare.

"It's the truth." John said sounding unfazed.

"John she's right. You've never given him any slack." Sidney said from the other end of the table.

"You know what? He shouldn't have to deal with what you put him through Mr. Witter. Pacey lets go." Joey said rising from her chair.

Pacey looked up at her with a blank stare. She held out her hand for him to take as she helped him up from the table. They left the house without saying another word. He sat in the driver's seat staring up at the house. She put a hand on his back making him look over at her.

"You handled it really well." She said with a smile.

"I shouldn't have expected him to understand." He said shaking his head.

"I can probably talk Bessie into letting you stay tonight." She said rubbing his back.

He nodded in reply as he started the station wagon. He was glad that she was being so understanding. He was even gladder that she had put his dad in his place. Maybe now he would think twice about what he said. But Pacey doubted it.

XXXX

Bessie had more than understood when Joey brought Pacey home. She had even let him sleep in Joey's room. Even if they had to leave the door open it was something. Pacey was the first to wake up. He had things he needed to take care of today. It was Doug's day off and he needed to talk to him. He got out of bed and quietly got dressed. He ran into Bessie in the hall making him look down at his feet. He was still unsure if she was okay with everything. So he had been trying to stay on her good side. She nodded at him before passing him making him breathe a sigh of relief.

He stood on Doug's doorstep hoping he would be awake as he rang the doorbell. Doug open the door a few seconds later giving Pacey a credulous look. Pacey gave him a small smile as he let him in. He followed Doug into the living room realizing how clean the apartment was. He would have to work on his cleaning skills if he was going to talk Doug into letting him stay. They sat at the table not knowing what to say.

"Mom was here earlier." Doug said breaking the silence.

"What did she want?"

"She dropped off your stuff. She said she had gone by the boat but you weren't there."

"I stayed at Jo's."

"I figured." Doug said with a nod.

"What else did she say?"

"That she loves you. And that she's happy for you."

"It's a step in the right direction. Now if only she could Joey's name."

"Gretchen said she's happy for you too. Why was Gretchen there?"

"She was just home for the weekend."

"Mom gave me some money."

"I didn't think you needed any." Pacey said meeting his gaze.

"It was so you could stay here. She said she'd pay your half of the rent until you found a job."

Pacey shook his head mentally making a note to thank his mother later. He wouldn't have to sleep on the boat anymore. It was starting to turn cold and his mother had thought to find him somewhere to stay. It was another step in the right direction. Pretty soon things would be normal. As normal as they could be.


	24. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Chapter Title: You Can't Always Get What You Want 

**AN: I just wanted to give you all a heads up that this chapter takes place two months after the last chapter. So Joey is about five months along. **

When a pregnant woman tells you to do something you do it. Pacey was learning that the hard way. He was already walking on eggshells around Joey as it was. If he wasn't careful he was going to do something drastic. He could only take so much of her constant whining and being demanding. He knew things weren't easy for her. She was the one who was carrying the baby. If he could switch places with her he would. Even Bessie was at the end of her rope. How do people with more than one child handle this? He didn't want to ask his mom or his sister and Bessie had already told him all that she knew. She hadn't been much help. Apparently Lillian Potter had been a saint.

He shouldn't be complaining. He had gotten the better end of the deal. Joey had to deal with the aches and pains and the constant movement from the baby keeping her up at night. He heard her for call him from the living room breaking him from his thoughts. She sat with her feet propped up on the coffee table and a magazine lying on her stomach. The little bump from a month ago had started to grow even bigger in the past few weeks. Pacey had to admit; she did look beautiful. Bodie had warned him not to remind of her how fat she was going to get. And when she asked if she looked fat the answer was always no.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked looking up at him.

"Just thinking." He said walking over to her.

"Can you get me something to drink?"

"Sure."

"I'd get it myself, but I'm really comfortable." She said with a laugh.

"It's not a problem. I'll be back." He said before kissing her forehead.

"Thank you." She said smiling up at him.

Things could have been worse. And they would get worse. They still had four months to go. At least Joey appreciated what he did for her. A lot of woman didn't do that.

XXXX

Jen wasn't going to lie and say that she wasn't worried, because she was. Most couples go through dark periods. But should they last two weeks? Ever since what happened on Valentine's Day Henry had been acting weird. Everything had to be perfect, and if it wasn't he flipped out. Jen had tried to tell him that that wasn't what she expected. Things were stressed enough without Henry always being so agreeable with her. She should have known this would happen. When they had first started dating things were great. They didn't spend so much time together that they felt like they were suffocating each other. They had their own friends.

When had things gotten so out of hand? Probably when Jen gave in and told him that she would stop spending so much time with her friends. He wasn't the same person that she had fallen for. In his place was a compulsive control freak that was starting to scare her. She wished that she could make things go back to the way they were. She missed talking to Jack about her problems. She missed going over to Dawson's when she needed a sympathetic ear. She missed all of her friends, but those two the most.

She had been spending every waking moment with Henry for the past month. The first few weeks were fine. Then all of the sudden it was like he had put on the breaks. Jen had tried everything to bring him out of it. She had gone so far as to bring up the sex issue. Not even that had brought him out of his funk. She didn't know what else to do.

XXXX

"Why can't we know the sex of the baby?"

"Don't you want to be surprised?" Joey asked giving him a quizzical look.

"I want to know what we're having. What is wrong with that?"

"We're going to have a healthy baby, with ten fingers and ten toes. Does that help you out?" She asked pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"It's normal for people to find out what they are having." Pacey said logically.

"Since when are we normal?" Joey asked giving him a weird look.

"How does this sound, I stay a few extra minutes and ask while you wait outside?"

"Fine. If you think you can keep it a secret than go ahead." She said letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Thank you." He said cupping her face in his hands.

He kissed her forehead just as the nurse called Joey's name. They followed her back to the examining room to wait for the doctor. Joey sat nervously on the table as Pacey leaned against the counter. He picked up a model of a uterus making Joey bite her lip to keep from laughing. The door opened making him drop it. Joey couldn't hold back her laughter as he scrambled to pick up the pieces. He quickly put it back on the counter only to have Joey shake her head as the nurse came back in. She got the machine ready as Pacey gave Joey a pleading look. She left the room again and Joey started laughing again.

"You think this is funny?" He asked pointing to the pieces scattered across the counter.

"Just hand it here." She said calming down.

Joey had it put back together within seconds. Pacey stared at her as she handed it back to him.

"It would have helped if you had cracked open your Sex Ed book in the ninth grade."

"Hey, I was busy experiencing the real thing." He said defensively.

"How could I forget?" She said rolling her eyes.

The doctor came in before he could reply. It was good to know that she didn't hold his past over his head like Andie had done. They both had their own issues with past relationships and it was nice to know that the other didn't bring them up. The doctor explained that the baby was fine. And that everything was going as well as could be expected. Which took a lot off of Joey's mind. She always worried that they would find something wrong every time she came in. So far things had been easy. But she knew things would be harder the farther she was along.

She waited in the waiting room while Pacey talked to the doctor. He came out with a smile on his face.

"So we're having what you wanted?"

"No, we're having what you wanted. A healthy baby with ten fingers and ten toes." He said with a smile.

She shook her head with a smile. She knew he wouldn't be able to keep it from her for long. It would only be a matter of time before he cracked.


	25. Let's Make A Deal

Chapter Title: Let's Make A Deal 

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dawson's Creek. If I did, I would be living the good life right now instead of being broke. Sorry to burst your bubble.**

Pacey knew Joey couldn't take much more. The fact that he knew what they were having and she didn't was starting to get to her. He liked being the one that held that card. She had been trying to get her to tell him for the past three weeks since they had found out. Being pregnant was starting to take it's toll on her. Now that she was six months along she couldn't do the things she used to. She couldn't even get up of the couch without help. It was rare that someone wasn't there to get what she needed. There were some perks, but being stuck in one place for hours at a time was making her restless.

Pacey sat at one end of the couch with Joey's feet propped in her lap. She had recently started complaining that her feet were starting to bother her. Sure enough they were swollen to almost half their size already. Bessie had said that they would get bigger and that the pain would get worse but Joey could barely handle it now. She felt like a whining brat who expected everyone to do everything for her. She wasn't used to that. But no one had complained. At least not yet. He rubbed her feet idly as he looked through a magazine. Joey was flipping through channels when she felt the urge to go to the bathroom.

"Pace help me up." She said pulling her feet away from him.

He pulled her up with one hand and steadied her with another. She waddled down the hall rubbing her back. Bessie and Gail had both said that it was normal for Joey to be the size she was. But she didn't think so. She hadn't seen that many pregnant woman, but the ones she had had not been this big until they were almost ready to have the baby. They had gone to the doctor's the other day and he had told her that not all woman were the same. Some gained more than others. She was one of them. As long as she ate right and didn't skip meals she should be okay.

She came back down the hall and gently lowered herself onto the couch. That was something she could do. Pacey pulled her feet back into his lap once she got situated again. She looked over at him with questioning eyes. She was going to make a deal with him. If she couldn't know the sex of the baby the least she could do was name it.

"Hey Pace."

"Hmm?"

"What would you say if I made a deal with you?"

"What kind of deal?" He asked looking at her over the top of his magazine.

"If the baby is a boy you get to name him. If it's a girl, I get to name her."

Pacey was silent for a few seconds thinking about what she had said. He could give her this.

"I promise not to bug you about the sex anymore." She said giving him doe eyes.

"I guess we can do that. You've got a deal."

Joey smiled triumphantly as Pacey hid a smile. He would let her think she had won for now. He was just glad that she wasn't going to bug him about it anymore.

XXXX

Later that night Pacey was helping Bessie clean after the dinner rush when she turned to look at him. He stopped what he was doing wondering what she had to say.

"You're practically living here. You know that right?"

"Do you not want me here?" Pacey asked bracing himself for the worst.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that you're over here a lot."

"Would you rather I take Jo over to Doug's? He'd like her living there more than me anyway."

"I didn't say that either." Bessie said with a sigh.

"Then what are you saying?" He asked giving her a confused look.

"Sit down Pacey." Bessie said putting a hand on his shoulder.

Pacey sat down at the table as Bessie sat across from him. She folded her hands as she laid them on the table. She let out a deep sigh before running her fingers through her hair.

"You know I like having you around. You make Joey happy and you save me a lot of trouble. I don't have to look after her when you are here."

"I know that."

"What I'm trying to say is that if you asked her to marry you I might let you move in here."

"We haven't even talked about getting married Bess. Plus I have a place to live."

"It's just an idea."

"You would be okay if we got engaged?"

"Yeah. Just as long as it's a long engagement."

Pacey shook his head trying to let everything sink in. His girlfriend's sister had just given him permission to ask her to marry him. What was going on? Had hell frozen over? Maybe he should think about asking Joey to marry him. Bessie did give him her blessing.

**AN: I know it's short. But my brain is fried right now. Note to all of you: Never try to write when you are sick. It doesn't work.**


	26. Life's Surprises Aren't Always So Little

Chapter Title: Life Surprises Aren't Always So Little 

AN: There's some big news coming in this chapter. I just wanted to give you all a warning before you started reading. This chapter also takes place a month after the last one.

Andy stared at her computer in shock. Mark had just sent her an e-mail letting her know that he would be in town that weekend. He said that they had things to discuss. She had something she needed to tell him too. Like that she had applied for early admissions into Harvard. Granted it was still too early but she wasn't expecting to get in. She wouldn't even find out if she got in until that summer. They hadn't kept in touch like they should have. When they talked lately they felt more like friends than boyfriend and girlfriend. Usually that would have sent off some kind of alarm for Andy. But she'd had her mind on other things lately.

She wished that she could talk to Jack about what was going. But things were finally starting to look up for him and Ethan. He had brought him to dinner the other night. Their dad hadn't been receptive at first, but now he had come to grips that his son wasn't like most guys. And he had come to love him even more. She would just have to deal with this on her own.

XXXX

Andy wasn't the only one of the friends that was having boyfriend troubles. Jen was at a loss as to what she should do about Henry. Things had gotten worse over the past few weeks. With Prom fast approaching she had made the decision that she didn't want to go. Not if Henry didn't change his attitude. They could always go next year. She hadn't talked to him about it yet, but she knew it would turn into a blown up argument where he would twist her words around. He had gotten better at that recently.

XXXX

Joey and Pacey sat waiting in the examining waiting for the doctor to come back in. He had left the room without saying much other than he wanted to check on something. That made Joey worry that something was wrong with the baby. The doctor came back in holding up a picture. He explained that he had needed to magnify the pictures that had been taken earlier because he saw something that he hadn't noticed before. He pointed at something before starting to speak.

"What does that look like to you Miss Potter?" He asked still pointing to something in the picture.

Joey squinted trying to figure out what it was. Then she realized what she was looking at.

"It's a third hand." She said putting a hand over her mouth.

"What?" Pacey asked walking around the table to look at the picture.

"She's right Mr. Witter. It's a third hand. You're having more than one baby."

"Oh God." Joey said with a groan.

"How come we've never seen it before?"

"Sometimes the other baby hides behind the first one. That's what this one has been doing. They finally decided to make their presence known."

"Oh God." Joey said again as she clenched her eyes shut.

Pacey looked down at her giving her a worried look. This hadn't been what they had been expecting but he had hoped that she would react better than she was. What had happened to the girl that he had fallen in love with? The girl that was ready for anything? Oh yeah, he had gotten her pregnant at seventeen. She'd done some growing up and now she was paying for it.

XXXX

Andy stood at the front window watching for Mark's car to pull up in the driveway. She wanted to get what she had to say out of the way hoping that what he had to say wasn't that bad. But news was never good when the person traveled across two states just to tell someone something. She heard his car before she saw it. It rounded the corner and pulled to a stop out front as she opened the front door. She walked down the stairs to meet him with a smile. When he didn't return the smile she knew something was wrong.

Mark stared down at his feet with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His stance alone let Andy know something was wrong. She laughed shyly before letting him follow her into the house. He put a hand on her shoulder just as she was about to walk up the stairs to her room. She turned to face him giving him a pleading look.

"Maybe we should talk in the living room." He said just above a whisper.

Andy nodded before following him into the room and sitting next to him on the couch. He rested his hands on his knees before letting out a deep sigh.

"I don't know how to say so I'm just going to come and say it. We should break up."

"What?" Andy asked sounding shocked.

"This isn't working. We never see each other. When we talk on the phone we talk like we're just friends. Tell me I'm not the only one who's noticed these things."

"No, I've noticed them too. I thought it was because we were getting closer." Andy said fighting the urge to cry.

"I should go. I want to be on the road before it gets dark. I've got a long drive ahead of me."

"But you just got here." Andy said pleading with him.

"I've said what I needed to say. If I stay I'll only end changing my mind. I can't do that."

"Okay." Andy said nodding her head.

Mark put a hand on her arm giving it a squeeze before letting himself out. Andy sat where she was in a state of shock until Jack got home. He sat in front of her with his hands on hers. He gave her a worried look before calling out her name. She looked down at him with tears in her eyes.

"Andy what's wrong?"  
"Mark broke up with me." She said finally letting the tears flow.

Jack stood only to sit down next to her on the couch. He pulled her to him letting her cry into his chest. He rubbed her back as she let out body shaking sobs. It was times like this when he was glad that he had moved back home. He would have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't go off the deep end again.

AN2: I want to thank PaceyW'sgirl for giving me the idea of making Joey have twins. I hope you guys like it too. Let me know what you think.


	27. Late Night Questions

Chapter Title: Late Night Questions 

**AN: A couple of things happen in this chapter. They both will change the story. Let me know what you think.**

Jen lay in bed trying to fall asleep. An argument she'd had with Henry was running through her head to the point that she wanted to ram her head into a wall. Something had to be done. All she had done was get a ride home from Jack and he was acting like she was cheating on him. He had been waiting at her locker that morning and had started lecturing her like he was her father in front of everyone. She didn't want to break up with him, but if that was what she had to do than she would do it.

She rolled over to look at her alarm clock before flinging her feet over the side of the bed. It was almost three and it was obvious she wasn't going to get any sleep. So she might as well do something to keep her awake. She made her way downstairs trying to be as quiet as she could. The light in the kitchen was on making her wonder if Grams was awake.

Grams sat at the kitchen table with her Bible in front of her. Jen silently sat across from her watching her as she drank her coffee. Grams noticed her a few minutes later giving her a surprised look.

"What are you doing up Jennifer?"

"I couldn't sleep. Why are you up?"

"I always get up this early."

"Which would explain why you're always in bed by nine." Jen said shaking her head.

Grams nodded politely before going back to reading her Bible. Jen silently got up from the table and made her way into the living room. Maybe there was something she could watch on TV. She flipped through every channel only to find infomercials and the news. She turned the TV off with a sigh before hearing Grams walk down the hall.

"Is something wrong Jennifer?" She asked standing in the doorway of the living room.

"I just have a lot on my mind." Jen said staring at the blank TV screen.

"Staring at the TV isn't going to solve anything child."

"I know, but it keeps me from having to think about things."

"Maybe you would feel better if you talked about it."

"I'm not talking to a TV Grams." Jen said smirking.

Grams gave her a stern look before sitting down next to her.

"It may have been fifty years since I have been a teenager but I have not forgotten what it is like."

"I'm having problems with Henry."

"Every relationship goes through it's rough spots."

"Do they usually last three months?" Jen asked looking at her grandmother.

Evelyn looked at her with sorrow in her eyes. When had her granddaughter gotten so jaded? She was turning into Dawson.

"Do you love him?"

"I thought I did. But now I'm not so sure."

"Then you should set him free. You won't feel better until you do."  
"Is it really that simple?"

"It is if you want it to be." Evelyn said putting a hand over Jen's.

Jen knew her grandmother was right. She had to be honest with herself. She hadn't been happy in months. She had to break up with Henry.

XXXX

Joey was woken up by the sound of someone tapping on her window screen. She lifted her head making sure she wasn't hearing things.

"Jo." She heard Pacey whisper from the window.

Joey made her way over to the window and lifted up the screen to let him in. She walked back to the bed rubbing her back. Pacey sat down first and pulled her into his lap.

"What are doing here Pace?"

"I wanted to see you."

"And you couldn't wait until in the morning because?" She asked giving him a questioning look.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Again I ask why couldn't it wait until morning?" She asked with a small laugh.

"It's important." He said rubbing her arms.

"What is it?"

"Will you marry me?" He asked before pulling something out of his shorts pocket.

Joey pulled away far enough away to look him in the eye. He was giving her a look he had never given her before. It showed that he was hopeful, yet frightened at the time. A lot rested on her answer. She loved him, but did she want to marry him? She looked down at his hands seeing something glinting in the moonlight. His class ring rested in the palm of his hand.

"It's not an engagement ring. But this will have to do until I can get you one." He said shyly.

"Are you serious?" Joey asked finally finding her voice.

Pacey tilted her chin so that she was looking at him.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

Joey stared at him with wide eyes. She hadn't been expecting this. She had always thought the guy that asked her to marry her would do it a restaurant. But with the two of them lying in her bed in the middle of the night was nice too. She nodded her head not trusting herself to say anything.

"You will?" Pacey asked uncertainly.

Joey shook her head even faster before letting out an excited laugh. He put a finger to her lips before smiling down at her. He slipped the ring on her finger before brushing his lips to hers.

"What is going on here?" Bessie asked from the door.

Pacey pulled away quickly resulting in him hitting his head on the nightstand. Joey held a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"Is someone going to answer me?" Bessie asked sounding agitated.

"Pacey asked me to marry him." Joey said holding up her hand.

Bessie flicked on the light before letting out an excited yell. Luckily they didn't have anyone staying there that night. Bodie did come down the hall when he heard Bessie scream. Alexander could be heard from his room so Bodie went to get him.

"I can't believe you actually did it!" Bessie said shaking her head.

"You told me I could!" Pacey said after Bessie slapped him upside the head.

"I didn't think you would actually do it Witter!" She said with a laugh.

Bodie came back into the room with Alexander in his arms. Once Alexander saw Pacey he squirmed until Bodie let him down. He attached himself to Pacey's leg until he picked him up. Bessie pulled Joey out of the room and down the hall. They sat at the kitchen table while Bodie made them breakfast. Pacey sat next to Joey with Alexander still in his arms. Joey couldn't help but think of how well he would be with their kids. It was a nice picture.

XXXX

Jen was waiting for Henry at his locker the next morning. She didn't know how he would react. But she was ready for anything he could throw at her. Jack stood next to her hoping he wouldn't have to break up a fight. Henry walked through the doors seeing Jen and Jack. Jen let out a deep sigh before Henry walked up to them. He opened his locker like nothing was wrong before Jen got the nerve to say anything.

"We need to talk."

"Yeah we do." Henry said shutting his locker.

Jen looked up at him waiting for him to say something. He let out a sigh before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Do you think we could be alone?"

"He's here just as much for your protection as he is mine."

"Jen please?" He asked pleading with her.

"I'm gonna go." Jack said finally joining he conversation.

Jen watched him walk down the hall before turning to Henry.

"I think we should break up."

"You're right we should." Henry said nodding his head.

"You're agreeing with me?"

"Neither of us have been happy for a while. I still care for you. But I don't like the person I've turned into."

"I don't like him either. Just thought I'd throw that in." Jen said with a smile.

"I'm sorry. You deserve better."

"So do you. You deserve someone who's willing to devote all their time to you. Someone who appreciates how great you are."

"You deserve that too."

"Can we still be--"

"Do not say the word friends. It would cheapen the moment."

"Right. I'll see you around."

"Yeah." He said nodding.

Jen walked away feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could go back to being cynical and join the Lonely Jaded Hearts Club again. She couldn't wait to have a movie night with Dawson. She would have to talk him into renting The Wedding Singer again. She had earned it.


	28. The Countdown Begins

Chapter Title: The Countdown Begins 

**AN: I know it's been almost two weeks since I updated this. I've been a little busy, and also sick. I remember telling someone that the babies would be born in this chapter. That doesn't happen until the next chapter. Which reminds me, there are only two chapters left after this one. As always let me know what you think.**

Joey was at the end of her rope. She still had two weeks to go before her due date but she felt like she couldn't take much more. Jen had talked her into going to the movies to take her mind off of everything. But she couldn't get comfortable in the seat so they left half an hour into the movie. She couldn't do much walking so Jen suggested that they get something to eat before heading back to the B&B. All Joey wanted to do was sit down and prop her feet up, she didn't care where she did it. They stopped in front of Leery's Fresh Fish and Joey sighed. The restaurant had just opened but she hadn't had a chance to see it yet. Jen pulled her inside and Gail quickly led them to a table.

"You are the last person I thought would come in today. How are you?" She said pulling Joey in to hug her.

"I'm ready and yet I'm not." Joey said as Gail and Jen helped her sit down.

"I remember that feeling. I had it when I was pregnant with Dawson." Gail said smiling.

"What changed your mind?" Jen asked sitting down across from her.

"The first time I looked into Dawson's eyes I knew that I had worried over nothing. It's not something you can describe. You have to feel it for yourself." She said still smiling.

Jen's cell phone rang making her reach into her purse to retrieve it. She left the table and walked outside. Joey and Gail sat in silence as Joey looked around the room. It was empty. She looked at Gail with questioning eyes before deciding to ask her what was going on.

"It's just a lull. We'll pick up around lunch." Gail said before rising from the table.

She walked into the kitchen leaving Joey to sit by herself. Joey took that time to look down at her hands, smiling when she saw her engagement ring. She hadn't had a chance to tell anyone about it. How were they going to react? She didn't personally care what people thought but she wanted to be able tell people how happy she was and how lucky she felt.

Joey didn't notice when Jen sat back down at the table. But she did notice when Jen took her hands in her own to expect her ring. Jen looked up at her with wide eyes as she smiled. She had never smiled so much in her life as she had smiled in the past few days. Things were finally starting to look up for her and Pacey. And now she could share her joy with someone else.

"Where did you get this?" Jen asked finally breaking the silence.

"Pacey gave it to me." She said still smiling.

"You are so in love." Jen said sounding astonished.

"I am. It's an engagement ring."

"No!" Jen said with a gasp.

Joey shook her head excitedly as Jen lunged towards her with her arms open. She squeezed Joey as tight as she could while talking so fast that Joey couldn't understand her. Someone walked up behind them casting a shadow over them. Joey turned her head and saw Andie standing a few feet away. Jen pulled away and sat back down in her seat.

Andie sat across from Joey giving her a small smile. She hadn't been part of the group in a while. She felt that she needed some time to be alone before she went back to being around them. They had all understood and had given her her space. But she wasn't prepared for what she saw when she walked into the restaurant. Joey looked like she was glowing she was so happy. Andie was happy for her, honestly she was. But a small part of her wished that things weren't the way they were. In a way she had made them that way when she cheated on Pacey. So none of this could be blamed on one person alone. They had all made different decisions and now they were dealing with the reality of those decisions.

"Did I miss anything?" Andie asked breaking the silence.

Jen looked at Joey giving her a reassuring smile. Andie had a right to know. But Joey had hoped that Pacey would be there when she told everyone. That couldn't be helped now.

"I'm engaged." Joey said shyly holding up her hand.

Andie's face lit up and Jen and Joey could tell that she was honestly happy.

"That's great Jo! Congratulations." She said happily.

Joey smiled saying a silent thank you that Andie had taken it well. Gail came back into the room carrying a cake and Bessie came out behind her carrying presents. Joey shook her head wondering how she hadn't realized what was going on.

"Did you tell them?" Bessie asked setting down the presents.

"Tell who what?" Gail asked setting the cake in the middle of the table.

"That I'm engaged."

Gail's head jerked up and she gave Joey a surprised look. She pulled Joey out of her chair and pulled her to her yet again.

"You're mother would be so proud of the way you turned out." Gail said with tears in her eyes.

"You think she would have wanted me to be a mother at seventeen?" Joey asked sounding confused.

"Mom was only eighteen when she had me." Bessie said from across the table.

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant that she would be proud of the woman you have become. You're strong, and independent. You're smart and you have more fire in you than anyone I have ever known." Gail said with tears in her eyes.

Joey eased back down into her seat She looked around the table at everyone that was with her. Evelyn had quietly made her way in and sat down on the other side of Jen without being noticed. She sat a package on the table with the rest of the presents and gave Joey a warm smile when their eyes met. Andie handed Joey the first present.

She opened the envelope on top not knowing what to expect. The card had a single balloon on the front with a rattle tied to the end of the string. She opened and smiled as she read it.

'_I know I don't tell you this enough, but you're a good kid. You're smarter than I was at your age. I know you'll be a great mom. I'm still a little worried about Pace though. Love Bessie.'_

She looked up and her eyes met Bessie's. Bessie winked at her encouraging her to open the gift. She tore off the paper and pulled off the top and pulled back the paper with a smile on her face. Inside were four outfits. Two pink and two blue. None of them were identical. One was a pink and green striped onesie while the other was a pastel pink sleeper. One of the boys outfits had a baseball hat to go with it and matching shoes. The other was a pair of blue jean overalls with a simple white polo shirt underneath.

"Since you don't know what you're having I thought I'd get you two of each."

"Thank you."

Andie handed her a bag as everyone passed around Bessie's gift. She pulled the card off the handle and opened it. It was a card that Jen had made herself. Joey laughed as she read what was written on it.

'_This card entitles you to one weekend of kid free, stress free relaxation. Pacey not included. Someone has to take care of them. Jen'_

The first thing Joey pulled out was a baby thermometer. By the time she got to the bottom of the bag she had figured out that it was a baby survival kit. Complete with covers for the electrical sockets.

By the end of the afternoon Joey had enough toys, clothes, and blankets to last for a year. Gail had even bought her two car seats. None of them realized how late it had gotten until Dawson walked in ready to start his shift. Pacey walked in a few minutes later taking in everything that was spread across the table.

"These two won't want for anything." Joey said with a laugh.

"I can see that. Did you have a good time?" He asked wrapping his arms around her.

"I did. I told them that we were engaged."

"How did they take it?"

"They're happy for us. Gail cried."

"I told Dawson this morning."

"You did?" She asked looking in his eyes.

"He told me to tell you that he's happy for us. And to give you this." He said handing her a small box.

Joey unwrapped and pulled back the box. Inside was a silver frame with the words 'Babies First Picture' inscribed at the bottom. She looked across the room and searched for him. When their eyes met she smiled and mouthed thank you to him. He returned the smile with a nod. His eyes met Pacey's and Pacey nodded before letting go of Joey.

"I better get all of this into the Wagoneer." He said staring to pick up boxes.

"I'll help you." Jen said following him out the door with boxes of her own.

Joey got her things together while the restaurant started to fill up. She went to say goodbye to Gail as Pacey said goodbye to Dawson. A few minutes later they were in the car on their way home. Pacey took hold Joey's hand and intertwined their fingers before bringing her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of it before placing their hands back on the seat. Things were going to be fine. They just had to wait until the babies were born for the next chapter to start.


	29. And Babies Make Four

Chapter Title: And Babies Make Four 

**AN: Sorry this has taken so long to get out. Hopefully ff won't give me any trouble when I try to post it. **

The heat of summer was starting to affect everyone. Jack lay draped over the back of the couch with his shirt tossed over the back beside him. Jen sat next to him fanning herself with a magazine. It didn't help that the AC at the B&B was broken or that Bessie was having trouble finding someone to fix it. Pacey had offered to fix it but Bessie refused remembering the broken furnace from the year before. There were some things that Pacey just couldn't fix. Joey stood at the refrigerator with the freezer door open basking in the cold air. She was the only person that Bessie would let do it, because you do not deny a pregnant woman who is a week from her due date relief from the heat.

Mitch walked through the door carrying his toolbox and shook his head at the teenagers in the living room. He made his way to the back of the house wondering how none of them had driven Bessie crazy yet. He checked the vents first before going outside to check the unit. Ten minutes later the air conditioner kicked in. Bessie stopped just as he was about to leave.

"What did you do?"

"If just needed freezer fluid. It's like a car, you have to check that every year before you turn it on."

"I'll remember that for next year. Thanks Mitch."

"Don't mention it." He said opening the door.

Joey made her way into the living room as Bessie shut the door. She had a look of anguish on her face making Bessie wonder if something was wrong. She winced in pain making Jack and Jen stand from the couch.

"It's the babies isn't it?" Bessie asked putting her hands on Joey's stomach.

Joey nodded clinching her eyes shut.

"Jack, go get Pacey. He's out back." Bessie said pointing out the back door.

Pacey was inside a few seconds later helping Joey sit down on the couch.

"Do you think it's time?"

"I don't think so. My water hasn't broke."

"They could be Braxton Hicks contractions. Do you want to go to the hospital just in case?" Bessie asked running a hand through Joey's hair.

Joey nodded silently. Pacey and Jack helped her up then led her out to the truck. Bessie climbed behind the drivers seat as Pacey sat on the other side. Jen and Jack promised that they would stay Bodie got home then they would go to the hospital. Joey watched them through the rearview mirror hoping that this was a false alarm. She still had things she had to do before the babies came. There were last minute touches that needed to be done to their room. She knew she shouldn't have waited until the last minute to get them done.

XXXX

Late that night Joey lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. The babies were moving around more than normal. The doctor said that they were more than likely getting into transition. So it wouldn't be much longer before they were born. He had assured Joey that it would be within the next few days. He had added that he wouldn't be surprised if she were back in twenty-four hours. Would it really be that soon?

Jen and Jack had finished the room that afternoon so everything was ready. All they needed were the babies. Joey had thought long and hard about the two names she had come up with. She'd had dozens of names running through her mind before she finally found two she liked. Naming a baby was never easy, naming two of them was absolute torture.

She felt a sharp pain as one of them kicked her with all the strength they had. It steadily got worse to the point that Joey gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain. She sat up trying not to wake Pacey. He turned over blinking sleepily.

"You okay?"

"I'm not sure." Joey said taking a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" He asked sitting up.

"Right now it's just a jabbing pain. I thought that maybe one them was poking me, but it's getting worse."

"Do you want to get up and walk around?"

Usually that helped, but Joey had a feeling that it wouldn't do much good this time. But she was willing to try anything. She nodded as she held out her hand so that Pacey could help her up. She made her way down the hall as Pacey went to wake Bessie up. She felt something wet run down her leg and she groaned in frustration. Bessie came into the room rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"It's time." Joey said just above a whisper.

"Are you sure?" Bessie asked with a yawn.

"Unless the puddle on the floor is from ice cubes that melted I'd say yes." Joey said sarcastically.

"Sorry. Don't panic, Pacey get her out to the truck. Her bag is by the door. I'm going to tell Bodie we're leaving."

A nurse was helping her into a wheelchair twenty minutes later as Bessie and Pacey filled out paper work. Another contraction hit her making her grab the arms of the chair to keep her mind off the pain. It was times like this when she wished her mom were still around. Bessie was a great guardian, but she wasn't half the mom their mom had been. Pacey crouched in front of her trying to get her to look at him. Her eyes snapped open as he put a hand over hers. She smiled at him weakly trying to let him know that she appreciated that he was there.

Bessie was on the phone calling everyone she could think of. Joey could hear her apologizing again and again for calling so early and then say thank you to who she was talking to. She sat next to Joey taking hold of one of her hands. She squeezed it letting Joey know that she was there for her.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Gail. She's on her way. She said she'd call everyone else first thing in the morning. You'll probably still be in labor then."

Joey hoped not. She remembered when Bessie was in labor. But Bessie had it a lot worse. She hadn't been able to get to a hospital, she didn't have any medication, and she'd had Alexander on the Leery's living room floor. Joey counted her blessings that she was able to at least have something to take away the pain when it got too bad.

Joey rested her head on Pacey's shoulder as they waited to be admitted. Gail came in ten minutes later and sat with them as doctors and nurses rushed past them.

"Mrs. Potter?" A nurse said from the desk.

"Yes?" Joey said just above a whisper.

"We have a room ready for you. Mr. Witter would you come with us?"

Pacey pushed the wheelchair down the hall following the nurse silently. Thoughts were rushing in and out of his mind faster than he was used to. He remembered the first time he met Joey. How she had pushed him to the ground because he had taken one of her dolls and ripped the head off. He thought about when he had realized that he had feelings for her. It wasn't one moment, but a handful of them together. The talks they'd had the summer before, the time spent on the dock looking across at Dawson's in silence. How he had been her shoulder to cry on because she couldn't understand what she had done to push Dawson away.

It was strange how things could turn around in the course of a year. Dawson was still in the picture, but not the way any of them had expected him to be. Pacey had been Joey's rock and swooped in just when she needed him. He was always there, no questions asked. Joey wasn't used to that.

XXXX

By eight o' clock that morning things had changed. Joey was only three centimeters dilated. After being there for four hours she was starting to get restless. Grams had shown up with Jen and Jack at six. The two of them looked like the living dead but they were there. Jack had been able to get in touch with Andy and she was on her way over. So far no one had been able to talk to Dawson or Mitch though. Dawson was known for sleeping through the phone ringing, but Mitch wasn't.

Pacey sat next to the bed trying to sleep while a nurse came to check on Joey. She looked up with a smile before letting the blanket fall back down.

"You've dilated some more. You're five centimeters."

"At least it's something." Joey said under her breath.

The nurse left a minute later as Grams came in. She stood by the bed looking down at Joey. Joey still had her reservations about her, even if she hadn't turned out to be a witch. She smiled warmly before putting a hand on Joey's arm.

"You will be a wonderful mother. A little younger than most, but that just means that you'll have more experience."

"Thank you Mrs. Ryan." Joey said with returning her smile.

Gail walked into the room followed by Dawson before Evelyn could respond.

"I told you I would eventually get a hold of them." Gail said rolling her eyes.

Joey let out a laugh as Pacey shifted in his seat. He opened his eyes and the first person he saw was Dawson. He sat up a little straighter as Gail sat on the edge of the bed. Dawson walked over to him and knelt by the chair.

"Do you want to get out of here? Maybe get something to eat?"

"Go Pacey, I'll come find you if something happens." Gail said nodding her head.

Pacey followed Dawson across the room stopping just before he walked out the door. He looked over his shoulder at Joey smiling at how happy she looked. He had made that look happen. And he was going to try like hell to make her happy for as long as she would let him.

XXXX

They had all been in the waiting room waiting to hear something. Joey had been wheeled into the delivery room almost an hour ago. Jen sat in between Grams and Jack as Gail paced up and down the hall.

"Shouldn't she have had them by now?" Jen asked looking at Grams.

"It depends. She could be having complications."

"They would come and tell us if that happened." Gail said shaking her head.

"I wish Bessie or Pacey would come out and tell us something." Andy said from the corner.

XXXX

After being in labor for eight hours it was finally time to push. It wouldn't be much longer. Bessie stood on one side helping Joey hold up her legs while Pacey was on the other with a washcloth wiping the sweat off of Joey's forehead with one hand and holding her hand with the other. His knuckles had turned white but she wasn't crushing them. It was a small price to pay for the pain she was going through. She had opted out when the doctor had offered her something for the pain. If her mom and sister could do it without drugs than so could she.

A surge of pain ripped through Joey as she pushed with everything she had. Her lower body felt like it was on fire and that it was being ripped in half just before she heard a blood curdling scream. She let out a sigh of relief as the first baby was held up for her to see. It was taken away to be weighed and measured as she felt another contraction hit. She sucked in a deep breath as she pushed again. The contraction subsided as Bessie looked down at Joey.

"The baby is beautiful." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Joey asked as another contraction hit.

"I'll let you find out when they bring it over."

The same pain from before ripped through and she knew that the other baby was out. She let out a sigh of relief as Pacey checked to see the baby.

"They're both perfect." He said before kissing her forehead.

"When can I see them?"

"As soon as they're weighed and measured." The nurse said helping Joey lower her legs from the stirrups.

"I am so proud of you." Pacey said just above a whisper.

Joey looked over to where the babies were to see Bessie taking pictures. One of the babies was wrapped in a blanket and the nurse brought it over to Joey. She placed the baby in her arms and Joey felt tears forming in her eyes.

"Meet your son Mrs. Potter." The nurse said smiling down at the baby.

Joey laughed as she ran a finger down the baby's cheek. It was hard to tell who looked like but that didn't matter now. She was just glad that she was able to finally hold him. The nurse brought the other baby over as Joey adjusted the baby in her arms. Pacey laid next to her in bed looking down at his family.

"You have a beautiful baby girl."

"Can you believe this?" Joey asked excitedly.

"No." Pacey said with a laugh.

"I can't believe they're finally here."

"Should we tell everybody?"

"We should name them first."

"Yeah, what are their names?" Bessie asked standing beside the bed again."

"You go first." Joey said looking at Pacey.

"Gabriel Carter Witter."

"And Ella Grace Witter."

"I love both names." Bessie said wiping tears from her eyes.

Bessie left the room and soon Gail and Evelyn came into the room. They fussed over the babies as Jen, Jack, Dawson and Andy watched from the door. Jen and Jack came in next as Dawson and Andy said that they would come in next.

"We have a favor to ask of you two." Joey said watching the two of them.

Jack held Gabriel and Jen held Ella as Pacey sat next to Joey.

"Any time you want one us of to baby sit you know we will." Jack said making faces at Gabriel.

"It's more important than that." Joey said with a laugh.

"We want you to be their Godparents." Pacey said trying to be serious.

"Are you serious?" Jen asked looking up.

"You don't if you don't want to." Joey said giving them worried looks.

"Are you crazy? Of course we want to! Well, I do." Jack said handing Gabriel to Pacey.

"Count me in too." Jen said nodding.

Dawson stood at the door watching the four friends interact. Things were changing so fast that he felt like he couldn't keep up. But they were changing for the better. Pretty soon they would be starting school again. And then next year they would leave to go to college. Would the six of them stay friends? He didn't know, he had them now; that was all that mattered.

**AN2: Only the Epilogue is left. I have another story I want to work on after I finish this one. But there won't be a sequel to this. At least I don't think so. As usual, let me know what you think.**


	30. Everything Falls Into Place

Chapter Title: Everything Falls Into Place Ten months later 

Joey stood at the podium looking out over the crowd. Some people threw their caps in the air, some turned the tassel to the other side. Joey turned hers to the side as she walked down the stairs. Pacey was waiting at the bottom giving her a smile. It was hard to believe that they had been together for almost two years. She stopped a few steps from the bottom before wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up off the ground spinning her around. She let out a laugh as he passed her to Jack. Pacey picked up Jen much to her protests.

Joey looked over Jack's shoulder seeing Bessie and Gail in the crowd. Bessie was walking down the bleachers trying to keep Gabriel from crawling out of her arms. He reminded everyone of Pacey. He had made his younger sister cry more times than anyone could count. Yet he was the happiest go lucky baby Joey had ever known. Gail followed close behind carrying Ella. She had already established that she was a daddy's girl. She had Pacey wrapped around her finger. She had a stubborn streak even though she wasn't a year old.

They both had Pacey's eyes while Gabriel had Joey's nose and chin. Ella on the other hand could pass for Joey's twin. Gabriel reached out for Joey as Bessie stopped a few feet away from her. She took him as his small hands grabbed hold of her tassel. She let out another laugh as she took off her cap so that he could hold it. Andy talked excitedly catching up on everything that she had missed.

Things had changed so much in the in year. Andy had spent the last four months in Italy. They had all wished that she could have been with them. But she'd felt that she needed time to be herself. She didn't want everyone constantly hovering over her like she was five. Things hadn't been easy for any of them. They had all dealt with their Senior year of high school in different ways. And now they had to deal with the consequences.

XXXX

Late that night after everyone had gone to bed Pacey lay in bed thinking. Joey had found out that she was eligible for her first choice college. But they didn't have the money. As usual Dawson swooped in and saved the day. He had offered the money that Mr. Brooks had given to him so that she could pay for her first years tuition. She hadn't wanted to take it at first. But Pacey had reminded her that they could always pay Dawson back when they had the money.

It had taken him a while before he realized that the decisions he made couldn't be all about him. He was eighteen and he had more responsibility than most people five years older than him had. It helped knowing that Joey was going through it with him. He had been thinking that they should get married before they moved to Boston.

That was something else. Joey had requested to be in campus family housing. Granted it would cost extra, but Pacey could get a job. Even though he hadn't had one in over two years. With Jen and Jack going to college in Boston made things easier. They would have a support system if things got too hard to handle. Grams had offered to take care of the twins while Joey was in school and Pacey was at work. She still didn't agree with them not being married, but she wasn't going to blame two innocent children for that.

He still had issues with his parents. At least his mom had finally learned Joey's name. And she called the twins by the right names. He didn't know what he would do if he had to go through with that again. His dad had written him off the day he moved out. At least his mom called and came by when she could. It was just one more thing to add to the growing list of how fucked up his family was.

Joey stirred next to him as he let out a deep sigh. She turned on her side looking at him with tired eyes. He smiled down at her before pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist before laying her head on his chest. He rubbed her back trying to get her to go back to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked looking up at him.

"It's nothing." He said kissing her forehead.

"It must be something if it's keeping you awake." She said giving him a questioning look.

"I was thinking about us getting married."

"When?"

"Soon?"

Joey nodded before splaying one of her hands over his heart feeling it beat under her fingers. Pacey threaded his fingers through her hair as the first rays of sunlight flooded through the curtains. Joey rolled out of his grasp before throwing her feet over the side of the bed. Pacey rolled over on his side propping his head on his hand. He watched her as she moved across the room.

"What are you doing?" He asked with a laugh.

"If we're going to get married we need to do it soon."

"We don't have the money."

"It doesn't cost that much to get a marriage license. We can get married at the courthouse." She said brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

"Do you really want to do that?" He asked sitting up in bed.

"I want us to be married." She said coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Whatever you want." He said reaching for her hands.

He intertwined their hands before pulling her down to lay with him. He was glad that she agreed with him. Bessie had been trying to talk them into waiting after Joey graduated to get married. Then again Joey rarely ever did what her sister said.

XXXX

Three days later Pacey and Joey stood in judges' chambers waiting for Doug to hand Pacey her ring. Bessie stood behind Joey resisting the urge to cry. Jen, Jack, Gail, Dawson, Mitch and Evelyn sat a few feet away taking in the scene in front of them. Ella let out a shrill cry as Gabriel knocked her bottle out of her hands. Gail quickly retrieved it and handed it back to the little girl as she tried to get her to calm down.

Joey held back the urge to laugh as she turned to face Pacey. He slipped her ring on her finger as he bit his bottom lip. Joey stuck her tongue out at him making him smile as he shook his head. Joey took Pacey's ring from Doug as she took hold of Pacey's left hand. She slipped the ring on as she made eye contact with him. The judge pronounced them husband and wife and Pacey leaned down to capture her lips. She felt his hands cup her face as he deepened the kiss.

"Save that for tonight!" Jack called with a laugh.

They pulled away and Joey rolled her eyes at him. It was true that this had been a long time coming. But now that they were married things seemed like things were complete. In a way they were. They had been a family for almost a year. But being married made things more real. Joey couldn't wait to tell the story of how they got together to the twins when they got older. It would be a good laugh. Joey and Pacey had come a long way from the sparing partners that they had been for the past ten years.

**AN: I can't believe that after nearly a year this is finally over. It seems bitter sweet now that it's done. I have to admit that this is my favorite story that I've written. I've put a lot of hard work into this. I want to thank all of the people that have read this story. Even those of you who didn't review. I do have a new story that I'm working on but I'm going to be moving in a few weeks. I want to get settled in before I start working in on that.**


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